A Most UnDursleyish Dursley
by charmedlion22
Summary: In her early youth, Susanna had been cruel and unknowing of her own strangeness. But nothing stays hidden for long, and at eight years old her life was forever changed. But with her cousin beside her, neither one would be alone. She has friends to make, adventures to experience, a boy to love, and lives to save. *Draco Malfoy/OC pairing*
1. The Vanishing Glass

**Hello, my fellow Potterheads. I tried writing a _Harry Potter_ story months back, but couldn't really get past the first chapter. So I moved on with other fics, but a new idea randomly hit so I thought I'd try again. Our OC here - as written in the summary - is Dudley's twin sister. Ironically named "Susanna", I promise to do my best not to make her a Mary Sue. So please, if you do see her acting like one, kindly let me know. I think we're good so far. And yes, she will be paired with Draco Malfoy. This is obviously an AU story, and I have a lot planned for the couple and Draco down the line, so I hope you stick around for it as this will be a pretty long story.**

**Now, as someone who's loved _Harry Potter_ pretty much their whole lives, my favorite thing about it was the emphasis of "found family"when it comes to Harry, so by having Susanna I will not be sacrificing how important Ron and the Weasleys are. I was also eager to explore Petunia Dursley, because she is extensively problematic (to put it lightly), but in the end she clearly still loved her sister, and that's reflected in this mother-daughter relationship (****another thing to keep in mind: Susanna means "Lily")****. I wanted to see what she'd be like if her daughter ended up a witch, and how that would change her character. Vernon's still a piece of work, but that's because it's Vernon Dursley. She won't necessarily be redeemed, only even more complex than before.**

**This fic will mostly follow book canon, but there will be some moments from the movies peppered in. As such first chapter follows chapter two of _The Philosopher's Stone._**

**Everything but my character belongs to JK Rowling. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four Privet Drive were proud to be perfectly normal in every way. Vernon Dursley was even prouder to be the father of two equally normally children. Dudley and Susanna Dursley were twins, the latter born 13 minutes after her brother. They were the apples of his and his wife's eyes, given everything they wanted from birth lest the house descend into chaos. They were equally spoiled and equally cruel to anyone their parents had taught them to be awful to.

Despite being twins, Dudley and Susanna looked nothing alike, their physical similarities few and far between. Where Dudley was large and round, Susanna was small and relatively lean, being far more active than her brother. That was in large part due to her mother. As spoiled as the twins were, Petunia was adamant her little girl stay just that; _little_. Her meal portions were always smaller than Dudley's, and where her brother would always get to ignore his vegetables most of her plate would be covered in salad. Much to Susanna's chagrin, most of her childhood was spent in the ballet studio, pirouetting and leaping around far more daintily than she wished to. She took great pleasure in climbing the trees in the park down the road and playing football with the other girls at school. She was the first to accept a dare, regardless of the risk, and had a faint scar under her chin from when she was six and decided to hop into a tire, her friends pushing her down the hill until she landed and scratched herself deeply in a rock.

Dudley inherited their mother's blonde hair and blue eyes, though his neck was as invisible as their father's. Susanna possessed a long neck - not as long as their mother's, of course, which the matriarch used to her advantage when spying on the neighbors - but the rest of her appearance came as a surprise of the Dursley. Their little girl was practically identical to Petunia's mother and aunt.

Susanna had red hair only a shade lighter than auburn. Her eyes were bright green, something shared with only one other living person. Susanna's cousin, Harry Potter, a boy as unDursleyish as could be.

But that was not all the two shared. For as strange as the Potter boy was, the same could be said of Susanna. It was only by the efforts of Petunia that this strangeness was hidden from the girl, her father, and her brother.

When Susanna was five, she insisted on playing in the garden while her mother tended to the rose bushes. Happy to have not been in the dance studio the elated girl ran to the tree in their backyard and leaped onto a branch. Petunia had watched it happen, hand covering her mouth to stop her scream because her daughter had _flown_. When Susanna climbed down, Petunia angrily told her daughter to be more careful, and to start from the bottom of the trunk - there would be no more humping onto trees.

When these strange things happened around other people, Petunia would tell her daughter it was all Harry's fault, that he was responsible for any and all abnormalities Susanna would experience. When Dudley broke her bike on their seventh birthday, he found his new game had transformed into an army of angry spiders. Petunia had sent Harry back to his cupboard under the stairs, Susanna comforting her older twin while yelling angrily at their cousin. Petunia had been the only one to see the truth, and she worriedly made sure her husband was none-the-wiser.

But there was only so long Petunia could cover up her daughter's true nature before Vernon caught on. He had been the only other person home when he found his precious little girl turning on the TV without being anywhere near a remote. While Susanna insisted it had happened on its own accord, Vernon growled and ordered her to her room, angrily explaining everything to Petunia when she returned from her day out shopping for Dudley, their son happily eating a large ice cream while Harry worriedly blinked up at the adults from behind his thick glasses.

In the matter of a day, the eight-year-old Susanna went from being her father's favorite to someone he treated only marginally better than Harry.

Her cousin tried to comfort her, but the girl shoved him out of her new downgraded bedroom, stronger than the thinner boy. He never stopped trying to show her someone still cared, but when a child that has been spoiled their whole life is suddenly rejected, their anger is a vicious thing. For a year, the rose bushes refused to grow and the grass turned brown. Vernon would lose track of personal items, and in return Susanna would lose meal and outside privileges, unless of course to attend her ballet lessons - and how ironic that something she so disliked doing became her only escape?

Despite being joined at the hip since they were born, Dudley adopted his father's treatment towards her. Any friends Susanna had before were convinced to jeer and laugh at his "freaky" sister, and soon enough she was alone as her cousin. Until one fateful October day.

Nine years old and only recently used to her new status, Susanna hid behind some bushes at school, having decided to skip a class in favor of being away from the sneers and laughs. She had no idea her brother would be chasing Harry on the roof of the the two-story building, until she watched in horror as Dudley shoved their cousin off the ledge. Terrified - perhaps she did care about Harry, after all - Susanna wanted nothing more than to catch him. Her arms flew up, a reflex to catch someone she'd never really be able to. Harry seemed to float down, eyes shining with tears as his feet touched the ground. The cousins looked at each other for what felt like the first time, and the girl lowered her hands, gasping for air.

"How did you -"

"I don't bloody know." Susanna responded, and she looked up to see Dudley watching them. She worriedly bit her lip, knowing exactly what would happen when her twin told their parents what he'd seen.

Still, any punishment was worth saving her cousin. Seven hours later she'd find herself sitting with Harry on the roof of their house, munching on a piece of toast he'd managed to sneak up to her, bonding over just how different they were compared to the three Dursley's tucked away in bed. Seven hours she'd have more than a best friend or a companion; Harry would come to be like a _true_ brother to her.

Which is why - on the morning that our story begins - Harry was the first to wish her a "Happy Birthday" and mean it. Her father had grunted it at her, Dudley had merely shoved his younger twin out of the way, and Petunia tentatively kissed her forehead before nudging her towards the toaster.

"How many are there?" Dudley asked his father.

"Thirty-six. I counted them myself."

The boy stuttered angrily, screwing up his face as if he'd cry. "Thirty-six. That's two less than past year."

"Vernon, you didn't count auntie Marge's present. See, it's under the big one from mummy and daddy." Petunia attempted to placate her son, but he merely grew red in the face. Susanna and Harry exchanged eyerolls.

"Alright, thirty-seven then."

Like her daughter and nephew, Petunia could see Dudley was about to throw a nasty tantrum. "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"

Dudley still looked weepy and disappointed. He seemed to be thinking, which gave Harry and Susanna enough time to gobble down the remaining scraps behind Vernon's back. "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"

"Thirty-nine, sweetums." Petunia gently helped.

"Oh. Alright, then." He thumped down next to his pile of presents, landing heavily as he picked up a modest-enough parcel.

"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" Vernon cheered, then ruffled Dudley's hair. He turned to where his daughter was pouring him another mug of coffee. "You got some gifts too, Susanna. You can open them after you serve your mum and Dudley breakfast."

"Thank you, dad." She mumbled back.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Susanna. Speak up. It's bad enough you're you without having a daughter who can't enunciate." Vernon growled.

"Yes, dad." She practically spat out, cheeks as red as her hair in anger.

"Vernon, let Harry take care of breakfast by himself. Susan, you can open your gifts."

Susanna watched her parents engage in a silent argument, but it was clear pleasing his wife was more important to Vernon than punishing his daughter, because he simply sighed and waved his hand.

Like a bird released from their cage, Susanna flew gracefully to the kitchen and set the coffee pot back where it belonged, squeezing Harry's shoulder as she passed.

As Dudley opened his gifts, Susanna sat close to the fireplace where her mother handed her four presents. The first was an awful orange dress with frills from her aunt Marge, two-sizes too large regardless of how much the color clashed with her hair. Petunia wrinkled her nose at the dress and took it away.

The second was another dress, this one knee-length and short-sleeved with silky green fabric and a white collar. It was from her ballet instructor, Madame Dulaine, and something she was actually excited to wear.

The next gift was a notebook and two company pens from Drunnings, her father's workplace. At least it would be useful, but Susanna longed for the days of birthdays past when her father spoiled her, buying her whatever she wanted just as he continued to do for Dudley.

The last gift was a surprise, though. A welcome one that brought tears to her eyes, that was kept private and out of her father's view - her brother was far too busy nearly breaking his new computer to pay attention.

Inside a small, worn white box rested a simple necklace she'd only ever seen when pilfering through her mother's jewelry box. The chain was gold, and on it rested a small butterfly, gold with tiny jewels of all different colors embedded inside. Susanna gently ran her finger over the pendant.

"Thank you, mum." She whispered, and Petunia nodded. With a small squeeze on her hand, the woman rose to answer the now-ringing telephone. Susanna quickly put on her necklace and hid it under her baggy sweater.

Dudley was messing around with his new gold watch when her mother returned, this time frowning. "Bad news, Vernon." The man looked up at her. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them."

Mrs. Figgs was their neighbor, an old woman obsessed with cats. Whenever the Dursleys were going out of town or celebrating the twins' birthday Harry would be sent over to her place. In recent years Susanna had joined him. While the visits are uncomfortable, at least Susanna would've still had some form of a sweet one her birthday. No doubt her father would send her and Harry to his sister's instead.

"Now what?" Petunia asked.

"I'll phone Marge." Vernon started to stand, and Susanna held in a groan of displeasure.

"Don't be silly, Vernon. She hates the boy. And we don't want her finding out about Susan." Petunia nodded towards her daughter.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"

"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Petunia.

"We could just stay here." Harry offered.

Petunia swallowed. "And come back to find the house in ruins?"

"We can go to the park, then. Please, mum?" Susanna asked, standing up.

"I don't bloody think so!"

"Vernon!" Petunia scolded, covering Dudley's ears as if the boy hadn't been saying worse with his friends at school.

"Sorry, dear. No. I won't let you two wander around unsupervised. Who knows what sort of trouble you'll find yourselves in!"

"I suppose we could take them with us to the zoo. It is Susan's birthday, and she made excellent grades at school. We can leave the boy in the car."

"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone!" Vernon argued

Dudley began to cry irritably loud and impossibly fake, though there mother bought it even as Susanna gave him an unimpressed scowl.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" Petunia wrapped herself around her son.

"I… don't… want… them… t-t-to come!" Dudley continued to wail, Susanna subtly covering her ears as she walked over to Harry. "They always sp-spoil _everything_!"

"Let's just run away." She offered her cousin, who grinned at the thought. Before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"Oh good Lord, they're here!" Petunia stood up frantically, adjusting her clothes as Vernon opened the door and let Mrs. Polkiss and her son Piers into the house. The boy was best friends with Dudley, and reminded Harry and Susanna of a rat. He was the one who held kids' arms behind their back at school while Dudley beat them.

Her brother stopped crying at once, and stood to greet his equally-horrid friend. "Happy birthday to me." Susanna grumbled under her breath, Harry patting her on the shoulder.

* * *

A half hour later, Harry and Susanna rode in the back of the car, on their way to the zoo. Vernon was frowning the whole way, forced to drive his wife's family car rather than the new one he'd been excited to show off.

Piers and Dudley sat in the seats in front of the cousins, laughing loudly about some kid at school.

Vernon was also complaining to his wife - his favorite hobby. This time, it was about the motorcycles whizzing past them.

"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums!"

"I had a dream about a motorcycle." Harry suddenly announced. "It was flying."

Susanna inhaled sharply, throwing her cousin an incredulous look. To his credit, Harry seemed equally disappointed in himself for voicing such a thing.

Her father barely managed to keep from crashing Petunia's car, and he turned to scream over Dudley's big head at Harry. "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" He roared, Piers and Dudley sniggering.

"I know they don't. It was only a dream." Harry looked down at his feet, his cousin knocking his knobby knee and sending him a warm smile.

As it was cool and rainy that particular June 23rd, though the zoo was still crowded with families. Her father graciously held his umbrella over his wife's head, the boys holding their own large ones. Harry and Susanna shared a small one with holes, and had it not been for the large raincoats they were wearing, both would be soaked to the core.

Still, there was a woman inside the entrance selling ice cream. Dudley and Piers each received a large chocolate, Petunia buying a small vanilla in a cup for Susanna while cheerily telling the other woman her daughter was training to be a professional ballerina.

Unfortunately for her mother and father, the woman also noticed Harry. They bought him a cheap lemon pop, and the cousins shared their sweets as they walked behind the other Dursleys and Piers. Susanna couldn't help but laugh when Harry pointed out the gorilla scratching his head looked exactly like Dudley thinking. Her mood improved as the morning went on, Harry pointing out the resemblance between Dudley, Piers, and the different animals. They made sure to do so far enough away from the other duo so that when they inevitably got bored, Harry wouldn't be their new entertainment

At lunch, they dined in the zoo restaurant. She and Harry shared some chicken tenders and chips, Petunia also placing a large salad in front of her daughter. It was dry, lacking any dressing, but Susanna appreciated the gesture. Food was good, after all. She snuck Harry some when Petunia was focused on Dudley. When her brother threw a tantrum about his knickerbocker glory not having enough ice cream on top, she and Harry got to eat what remained. Harry even sang her "Happy Birthday", quiet but still the best thing she'd heard all day.

The other shoe dropped nearly twenty minutes later, in the reptile house. Piers and Dudley marched ahead, flanked by a doting Petunia and bored Vernon. Harry and Susanna stayed as far back as they could.

The boys were eager to see giant, man-crushing snakes, and led the rest of the group on a hunt for the biggest slithering reptile the zoo had to offer. Dudley all but clapped when he found a large boa constrictor - it could've wrapped itself twice around their parents' cars and crushed them like soda can. At that moment, however, the snake slept. It was completely oblivious to the two boys pressing their noses to the glass, fogging it with their hot breath. Susanna scrunched her nose as they tapped rapidly, trying to wake the sleeping serpent.

Dudley looked up at their father, pouting in a way that Petunia would call "angelic". Susanna always likened it to a pig denied the chance to roll around in a large patch of mud. "Make it move." Her twin whined, and Vernon tapped on the glass. The snake still refused to wake up. "Do it again!" Dudley whined. This time their father rapped the glass with his knuckles, as if he were knocking on the door.

"Sorry, Dudders." Vernon pat his son on the shoulder.

"This is boring." The boy complained, his best friend nodding in agreement. They huffed and walked away, followed by the two amused elder Dursleys. Only Harry and Susanna remained at the tank, observing the sleeping animal.

"You do realize he'll be complaining about this for the rest of the trip, right. Mum and dad'll probably be having a talk with the zookeepers later." Susanna joked, though both knew that outcome was more than likely.

They continued to watch the snake, completely at ease now that the rest of their party had moved along. "I'm sorry we're celebrating your birthday like this." Harry spoke up, but his cousin shook her head and smiled over at him.

"No, it's okay. I've got you here, that's more than enough to make this a fun day. Besides, at least they acknowledge mine." Susanna took his hand and squeezed. "I really do love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Suze." Harry paused, then nodded to the snake. "I think someone's finally awake."

The snake opened its beady eyes, raising its head slowly to stare at its two observers. It looked from the girl to the boy, then winked.

_Winked._

Susanna gasped while Harry looked around, checking to see if anyone noticed the bizarre act. He looked back at the snake, and Susanna watched in confused amusement as he winked in return. The snake's head moved, and the two kids followed its line of sight to see the creature focusing on Vernon and Dudley, off bothering some poor other animal with Piers to assist and Petunia smiling. They turned back to the snake, who rolled its eyes.

Suddenly, Harry began to hiss. It was as though he was possessed. The snake flicked its forked tongue, hissing back. Harry seemed to respond, the snake rising and nodding along in interest. Perplexed by the whole exchange, a worried Susanna cleared her throat. "Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry gave her an odd look. "I'm talking to the snake. Haven't you been listening?"

Susanna gave him a look, but as this was not her first time seeing the unusual unfold only shrugged. "You're so strange, _Freak_." Harry grinned back at her. They'd called each other "Freak" since the School Roof Incident, a way to rise above the jeers Dudley and his friends would send their way. It was one less way Vernon Dursley could hurt them - if they could acknowledge they were different, then it couldn't be used against them.

Harry returned to his hissing, the serpent pointing his tail at the sign next to the glass. Susanna read the words "Boa Constrictor, Brazil. Bred in captivity". She understood, sighing sadly as she watched Harry hiss at the snake.

Before Susanna could ask what was happening, Piers yelled loudly behind them, practically bursting her eardrums. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T _BELIEVE_ WHAT IT'S DOING!"

Her father and brother came dashing over - as fast as their sizes would allow. Eager to see more, Piers shoved Susanna onto the ground, and she yelped in pain when her weight was caught on her elbow.

"Suze!" Harry exclaimed. He then fell to the ground, groaning and holding his ribs. Dudley had punched him out of the way and was now excitedly clapping his hands to the glass with his best friend. Susanna glared, her eyes wide as the snake hissed dangerously and slid back, clearly terrified and agitated.

"Stop! You're upsetting it!" She cried out, and Piers sneered down at her.

"Aw, look Dudley. Your sister's all soft for a bleeding snake - ah!" Piers howled, he and Dudley stepping away from the glass.

Only the glass had suddenly disappeared, the snake freed. The boa constrictor uncoiled itself and began to slide out of the tank, pausing momentarily to nip at the boys' heels. Dudley and Piers screamed and jumped into each other's arms, near-sobbing. The snake hissed at Harry, though it seemed friendly, then winked at Susanna and slithered away.

The reptile house burst into chaos, the confused zoo keeper trying to calm the panic as the boa constrictor made its escape. Susanna looked over at Harry as the attendant rushed forward to speak to the Dursley parents, both of whom were fawning over their son and Piers.

Harry was glaring up at them, his hands shaking as he pushed himself up into a seated position. He glanced at Susanna, worry written all over his face as he watched the girl cradle her elbow. "Are you alright?"

Before she could answer, Vernon was dragging his daughter up from the ground, hurrying after his wife as they and the shivering boys were led to an office. Susanna helped Harry up, the two walking together. They had to sit through the zoo director himself calming Petunia, completely beside himself that the glass had just disappeared. Harry and Susanna sent each other furtive glances. After what felt like hours, they were back in the car - this time the boys swearing up and down that the boa constrictor nearly bit off Dudley's leg and tried to squeeze Piers to death. And when the latter calmed down, he voiced an observation the silent cousins wished was ignored.

"Harry was talking to it. Weren't you, Harry?"

When Piers left, her cousin was locked in his room in the cupboard under the stairs, and Susanna was sent up to her room.

* * *

Susanna carefully paced on the rug beneath her feet, wary of her parents downstairs. While Harry had been denied dinner - she managed to sneak him m leftovers in a folded napkin, but it hadn't been easy - her mother allowed her a small piece of cake to go with her smaller portion of roast and potatoes. Then she'd been promptly sent up to bed, Dudley following three hours later. Her mother had been kind enough to hand her a bag of ice for her bruised elbow, but when Susanna privately asked about Harry, Petunia's face screwed up as though she'd eaten something atrociously sour and shooed her away.

Desperate for a cup of tea to help her sleep, Susanna quietly left her room. So what if her parents were still awake? She needed to sleep, and there was too much on her mind. Most of it was focused on Harry, and how worried she was for him. There's no way he could continue to survive in this house - neither of them could. He needed to get out, to get somewhere safe. And where her cousin would go, she'd follow, until she was no longer needed. She owed him that much.

But as Susanna crept down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, her parents' conversation was far too intriguing to not eavesdrop.

"... Lily got _hers_ on her birthday, and one of _them_ delivered it personally." Her mother spoke, and Susanna tilted her head in curiosity.

"And you're sure the blasted letter didn't come?" Her father gruffed out."

"I checked twice, Vernon."

"Must be slow to send, eh?"

"What if… what if we've been wrong? What if she _is_ normal?"

"Must be. Could've stamped the freak out of her, too. Didn't you say ballet is good for discipline?"

"Our daughter, normal all this time."

"Well, if she's not, we aren't sending her to that school. I won't have them turning her more freakish." Her father yawned and Susanna jolted a bit. "I'm knackered. Are you staying up longer?"

"Yes, my programme is about to start. Could you check on Dudley?"

"Of course. Poor lad. Goodnight, dear."

"Mmm, goodnight."

Susanna quietly but quickly rushed up the stairs, sliding carefully to her room and closing the door, her father's heavy footsteps concealing the noise. She slid under the covers and turned off her bedside lamp, the moon providing some light.

Without her tea to calm her, sleep eluded Susanna. It was hours before she was finally able to close her eyes, so many questions plagued her. _What had her parents been discussing? What was so special about "the letter", and what did it have to do with aunt Lily?_

Vernon and Petunia Dursley were keeping secrets, and Susanna was going to find out just what they were hiding.


	2. The Letters From No One

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads! **

**So, as mentioned in the previous notes this fic will be more book-canon orientated than movie, but I'm sort of blending certain parts together. Since I'm following the books, this second chapter matches up to the third of The Philosopher's Stone. This chapter's got a lot of moments with Harry and Susanna. I'm really having a blast with their relationship and figuring out how Harry's story changes with a "good Dursley" in the mix. I mean, what the other Dursleys do to him doesn't change, but he's no longer alone when it comes to facing them. It's also fun writing an OC who wasn't just "the only nice Dursley" to him from the very beginning of their relationship - I figured that her behavior would be as learned as Dudley's when it came to Harry, until she learned to see past what her parents had taught her. **

**As mentioned before I got all sappy, this chapter is based on the third from the book. As I'm a stickler for getting the smallest of details right, I looked up the UK calendar for 1991 and saw that JK Rowling's dates were a little off. So, the first of the letters arrive on Tuesday the 23rd instead, because the real date fell on Wesdnesday and doesn't match up with the amount of days the letters arrive. As for Harry's birthday, the 31st was actually on Wednesday that year, not Tuesday as written in the book. I know it doesn't actually matter, but it was a pet peeve of mine when I figured out the dates weren't correct.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm working on the next one as I post this. As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

Harry's punishment for the zoo incident lasted a week into the summer holidays. While the Dursleys let him go to school - too many questions would have been asked if they hadn't - it was back to the cupboard as soon as the children returned home. Susanna had managed to sneak him food from her plate, but it was never enough. She knew it was never enough.

In that time, Dudley had managed to break most of his birthday presents and run over Mrs. Figgs with his new bike, _while she'd been walking to her house on crutches__._ Petunia had "accidentally" ruined the dress aunt Marge sent Susanna, and the girl was sure it'd been made into horrid little kitchen rags.

With school out, it only meant Dudley and his stupid gang had overrun the house. Harry was their target, while Malcolm and Dennis both tried to charm Dudley's younger twin. Susanna had two forms of escape: ballet class and running around the neighborhood with Harry.

She had to wait until the end of Harry's punishment to tell him what she'd overheard. She couldn't at school, what with her twin following them around on Vernons orders. Then they'd both been far too busy trying to enjoy what remained of their holiday for her to bring it up. One bright July day, they managed to make a quick escape to the neighborhood park, and Susanna felt it was time to bring up what she'd overheard. Neither one had any clue about a letter, nor had they heard her parents discussing it since.

"You know, they could've just been talking about a school thing." Harry offered as he climbed up the trunk of the tree, following after her. Susanna pursed her lips and sat on a thick branch, straddling it so her legs swung.

"But Harry, it was important enough that they mentioned your mum. They _never_ talk about your parents." Her cousin looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry. I wish they would."

"Me, too. But you know what your parents would say."

"Mhmm. _'Don't ask questions!'_" Susanna gruffed out, her voice deep as she impersonated Vernon. Harry snorted. "Bloody ridiculous." Harry hummed and they watched the little kids play with their parents. "Your birthday's coming up."

"That does happen, once a year." Harry yelped as Susanna slapped his arm.

"I wanted to ask what you wanted. I have some chore money saved up that Dudley hasn't sniffed out. I could stop at a shop when I go to ballet."

"Unless it's a ticket out of here, surprise me." He shrugged.

"I'll get one for the both of us." They grinned at each other and shook hands, completely at peace. "At least mum didn't shove us on Mrs. Figgs's doorstep." Petunia had taken her precious Dudders to London, so they could buy his school uniform. He'd be attending Smeltings Academy in September, Vernon's _alma mater_. Come September, she and Harry would be attending Stonewall High, the local state school. Dudley had told them both about the hazing, but Susanna thought nothing could be worse than having to go to the same secondary school as her twin and Piers.

They returned to Number 4 when the sun had set and found Dudley proudly strutting around in his new uniform. It consisted of maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats. He also waved around a knobbly stick - in class, the boys would poke each other when the teacher's weren't looking. Her father said something about that particular action being good training for later in life. Harry and Susanna did their best to eat what little dinner they were given. It was hard, though, with how much they were laughing. Susanna nearly choked on a piece of broccoli before she gave up and excused herself for the evening.

As she crossed from the dresser to her bed, she swore she saw something fly past her window. She peeked out into the dark night, but all she saw were houses with the lights turned on. Susanna sighed and crawled under her covers, dreaming she and Harry were finally free.

* * *

On Tuesday the 23rd, Susanna stumbled into the kitchen while covering her nose in an attempt to block out the heavy scent of rotten eggs. She bumped into Harry and the two sleepily entered the kitchen. Her mom stood over a metal tub of gray water, stirring occasionally and grimacing at the smell.

"What's this?" Harry asked, breaking the "don't ask questions" rule. Petunia glared at him.

"Your new school uniform."

"I didn't realize it had to be so wet." Harry muttered, still looking down at the tub. Her mother frowned, then snapped at her nephew.

"Don't be stupid. I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." Susanna must've made a noise, because Petunia focused on her immediately. She swore her mother's eyes softened just a touch. "Yours is on the counter, Susan. I picked it up from the secondhand shop yesterday." At that moment, Susanna had never been happier that she was a girl. Dudley had no old skirts to dye and pass-down.

"Those'll fit me like bits of old elephant skin." Harry whispered in her ear as they got breakfast ready. Dudley and Vernon came in just as they were setting the table. Their noses wrinkled at the stench coming from the kitchen sink. It wasn't enough to diminish their appetites, and both males sat at the kitchen table digging into their large plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages. Vernon opened his newspaper while Dudley banged his Smelting stick on the table.

There was a click from the mail slot, and they could hear the flop of letters on the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley." Vernon ordered, watching his daughter fix his coffee.

"Make Harry get it." The boy griped.

Vernon nodded, taking a sip from his cup and waving Susanna off. "Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it." Her cousin responded.

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." Susanna glared at her twin as he tried to smack Harry with the knobbly stick, wishing she could douse him in hot coffee.

Still, Harry managed to dodge it. That didn't stop Susanna from setting down the pot of brown liquid and walking behind her brother to slap him up the head. He yelped and tried to smack at her, but she'd always been quicker. Susanna caught the stick mid-hit, ignoring the sharp pain in the palm of her hand.

"Leave your brother alone, Susan." Petunia ordered.

"Yes, mum."

"Hurry up, boy!" Her father shouted. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He laughed to himself. Susanna rolled her eyes and picked the coffee pot back up, returning it to its resting place. Harry returned moments later, and Susanna watched in confusion as he handed her father his mail without looking at him, the boy's eyes on two yellowed envelopes. She quietly walked over to him, and he glanced up at her.

"Suze. They're letters."

Worried he'd suddenly been knocked over the head, the girl nodded and spoke slowly. "I can see that."

"You got a _letter_."

Still confused, Susanna looks down at her envelope.

_**Ms. S. Dursley**_

_**Vernon's Old Home Office **_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging**_

_**Surrey**_

Susanna's hands shook as she turned the envelope over, eyes glued to the burgundy wax seal on the back. The coat of arms consisted of a lion, an eagle, a snake, and a badger surrounding a large H. Her mind racing with confusion and her chest tight with apprehension, Susanna began to rip at the seal -

"Dad! Dad, Harry and Susanna got something!" Her twin shrieked. Dudley jerked the envelope from her grasp, then their cousin's, and passed both with a smirk to a bemused Vernon.

"Those are ours!" Harry yelled, but Vernon only sneered.

"Who'd be writing to you?" Her father ripped the crests, shaking the two letters out from their envelopes. He glanced at where they rested on the table, and his face got paler, and paler, until only a hint of green brought some color to his usually red face. "P-P-Petunia!" Her father gasped.

While Dudley tried to reach over to grab the letters, his mother gently pushed him out of the way. Vernon handed his wife one, and the woman choked on her saliva. "Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" Susanna shrank back when her mother's pale eyes focused on her. She then looked back at her husband, the three children ignored.

Dudley wasn't used to such treatment, so he hit the top of his father's head with his Smelting stick. "I want to read the letters." He huffed loudly.

Harry and Susanna stared furiously at him at the same time. "Hang on, those are ours. _We_ want to read it." She shot at him. "You didn't get one. Back off."

While Dudley tried to smack his sister with the stick and she dodged his attacks, Vernon was busy shoving the letters back in their envelopes. "Get out, all three of you." He ordered.

Harry stood his ground, his cousin still busy fighting off her twin's attacks. "WE WANT OUR LETTERS!" He shouted at his uncle, the loudest he'd ever been to the large man.

"Let me see it!" Dudley had succeeded in smacking Susanna on the arm, and a large bruise was forming on her bicep. She rubbed it and glared.

"OUT!" Vernon roared, and he stood up quicker than Susanna had ever seen. Her mother steered her towards the hallway while her father took Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them out of the kitchen. He slammed the kitchen door behind them.

The two boys fought over who would listen in through the keyhole. Their silent battle was so distracting that they missed Susanna rolling her eyes and simply walking around them, crouched down to listen. She tugged Harry by his wrist and pulled her cousin next to her so they could listen together. Dudley stomped his foot but resolved to press his ear to the door instead, standing next to Susanna.

Her mother was talking, Petunia's voice quivering with fear. "Vernon, look at the addresses - how could they possibly know where they sleep! You don't think they're watching the house, do you?"

"Watching - spying - might be following us." Her father muttered wildly.

"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"

"No." Judging from the heavy footsteps, Susanna reasoned her father was pacing. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… yes, that's best… we won't do anything."

"But -"

"I'm not having _two_ of them in the house, Petunia!" Her father interrupted his wife again. "Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense! Now our daughter's just like _him_! I will not stand for it! My own daughter, my pride and joy, just like the Potters!" Susanna felt Dudley's eyes on her back, but she simply straightened and walked away, pulling Harry behind her.

Susanna had spent the rest of the morning in her room. For once, it wasn't enforced, but rather her choice. She simply lay on her bed, rolled over on her stomach as she sketched a messy tree into an old drawing book. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she never heard the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, followed by much lighter ones. A knock on the door did jolt her, though, and she sighed frustratedly at the wayward branch.

"Come in!" She answered, sitting up and closing her sketchpad.

Her father swung the door open and he shoved Harry in before shutting the door. "Sit on the bed, both of you." Harry nodded and did as instructed, clearly just as confused as his cousin. Vernon began to pace, seemingly searching for what to say.

"Where's our letters?" Harry finally asked, breaking the "Don't Ask Questions" rule _again_. "Who's writing to us?"

"No one. It was addressed to you both by mistake. I burned them." Vernon quietly responded, briefly glancing at the door as if someone were standing behind it.

"Isn't it illegal to destroy mail that isn't your own?" Susanna asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her father glared at her, but she didn't back down.

"It wasn't a mistake. It had my cupboard and her room on it!" Harry argued.

"SILENCE!" Her father screamed, and the walls around them seemed to shake. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. WHen the large man smiled, his daughter shivered in fear. That look was never a good sign, at least not when directed at either kid. "Er - yes, Harry - about your cupboard. You're aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it. And Susanna, it was perhaps premature of us to give you such a small space, especially as you're getting older, not younger!" He joked, but neither one laughed. "So, Petunia and I have decided to move the two of you to Dudley's second bedroom."

Susanna blinked. Dudley's second bedroom was her original one, before the incident with the television. Her twin used it to store all of his unused and broken toys, but her bed was still there so he'd be able to sleep in it if he'd played for too long. Susanna had been given her dad's old home office, until Vernon moved it into Petunia's old crafting room. "We're sharing it? What about Dudley's things?"

"Yes, you are. And Dudley's belongings will be brought in here -"

"No!" The door swung open, and all three jumped as a red-faced Dudley stormed in. "I don't want them in there, I need that room!"

"Dudders, I'm sorry, but that's just the way things are going to be." Vernon attempted to pacify his son, though his voice wavered.

Dudley began to cry in an almost cartoonish fashion, the cousins on the bed snickering down at their laps. "Mu-mu-mummy wo-won't le-let you!" He shrieked, storming out of the bedroom. Vernon started to follow, but turned to glare down at them, as if the entire thing was their fault.

"I'm going into London to buy some furniture, and some of the delivery men at Grunnings are coming over to help move everything. Your room will be ready tonight."

Her father left them and the cousins both collapsed back onto Susanna's bed, their feet touching the ground. "Think it'll be permanent?" Harry finally asked, and his cousin looked over at him. "The old-new room?"

Susanna bit her bottom lip, then shrugged. "Who knows with my parents. But I hope so. For your sake."

"Think uncle Vernon will let me put up some posters?"

"As long as it's an advertisement for Grunnings." The two began to laugh, temporarily distracted by the events of that morning.

True to his word, her father had hers and Harry's shared bedroom set up by that evening. It was smaller than she remembered - though obviously still larger than Harry's cupboard under the stairs, which was most important. That of course could have been because her father opted for two smaller beds instead of a bunk - evidently the ceiling hadn't been high enough for the cheapest option - as well as the two smaller dressers and the larger shared closet. There was only one desk, which was positioned at the window between their beds. Still, it came with an attached bathroom - something she'd missed when she was put in the old home office. Granted, it was small, but at least they'd have some privacy from each other.

Harry spent the first night staring outside, and in his single-minded focus became an unknowing model for his cousin as Susanna sat up in her bed, sketching him into her pad.

The next morning, breakfast was a quiet affair. Dudley was still distraught, though only seemed to be milking the situation at the point. Vernon and Petunia kept staring darkly at one another.

When the mail came, Vernon sent Dudley to get it. He'd been nice to both his daughter and nephew the past few days, going so far as to make sure both got as much dessert as Dudley. No other letters had come for the cousins, and they began to fear that perhaps they really were mistakes, or funny little tricks.

"There's four more, two for each! _Mr. H. Potter _and_ Ms. S. Dursley, the Old-New Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -_" Dudley shouted and Susanna smiled, but their father's cry interrupted him. Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, his daughter and nephew following closely behind. Susanna watched with wide eyes as her father wrestled her twin to the ground, taking the letters from his clenched pudgy fist. It was a difficult feat as Harry had pounced onto Mr. Dursley's back and wrapped his arms around his neck to stop him.

When Dudley had managed to lose the Smelting stick - he'd banged the other two males with it while Petunia watched in fear, a hand on her daughter's shoulder - Vernon got to his feet and gasped for breath. He held the letters up, then pointed at Susanna and Harry.

"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom. Both of you. Dudley, go… just go."

Knowing they'd be safest further away from her father - but still wishing deeply that they could have their letters - Susanna tugged her cousin up the stairs, wondering just how the people sending the envelopes knew they'd switched bedrooms.

* * *

Susanna shot off her bed when the alarm rang, Harry already getting a move on in the form of turning the alarm off and grabbing some clothes before dashing to the bathroom. She groaned when she saw the time - six in the morning - until she remembered their plan. Susanna rolled out of bed, sliding her feet into a pair of slippers and tugging on an old, fluffy robe. Harry was still ready before her, and he gave her an impatient look as he bolted out the room, his cousin on his heels.

She stumbled in the dark, rubbing her eyes as they ran down the stairs. They had decided the previous night to wake up early and wait for the postman at the corner of Privet Drive. Finally, they'd be able to open their letters!

She knew they'd failed, though, when someone shouted in pain. The cry was so loud that someone upstairs had woken up, as the lights were turned on. Harry had accidentally slept on her father's face, the man lying in front of the door all wrapped in a sleeping bag. He'd clearly known about their plan, or at least guessed what they'd do.

Susanna rushed forward, keeping Harry behind her as her father slowly got up and advanced. "It was my idea, dad, I swear! I'm sorry!" She apologized, and the man's glare switched from his nephew to the girl before him. He proceeded to yell at his daughter for half an hour, ordering Harry halfway through to go make him a cup of tea. Susanna stood tall, chin up despite the fear gripping her heart and her eyes watering with unshed tears. By the time her father stopped the mail had arrived, and Petunia crept down from the top of the stairs to take them and hand them over to her panting husband. There were eight yellowish envelopes, and Harry bravely stepped forward.

"I want -" He began, but his uncle began tearing the letters to pieces. Susanna refused to stare down the debris - a sort of twisted confetti - and looked over her father's shoulder.

Vernon didn't go into work that day. Instead he remained at home, nailing boards to block the mail slot from the inside-out.

"See," he had begun to explain to his wife while Susanna sat miserably on the middle-step, watching with her chin in her hands, "if they can't deliver them, they'll just give up!" He reasoned around a mouthful of nails.

"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." Her mother tried, but he waved Petunia off.

"Oh, these people's minds work in very strange ways. They're not like you and me."

Susanna was so heartbroken she couldn't even laugh when her father tried to hammer in a nail with a piece of fruitcake.

The next day, no less than sixteen letters arrived for Harry and Susanna. Despite being unable to go through the mail slot, somehow someone had managed to stuff them under the door, through the sides of the door, and even forced a few into the downstairs bathroom. Vernon stayed home again and burned the letters, but not before boarding up the cracks in the front and back doors. Susanna still couldn't laugh when her father kept jumping at the smallest of noises, Harry comfortingly and understandingly patting her shoulder.

On Saturday _thirty-two_ letters arrived, rolled up and hidden in the eggs that the confused milkman handed to Petunia through the kitchen window. The woman screamed in horror and ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her. Vernon called both the post office _and_ the dairy company to complain.

"Who on earth wants to talk to either of you so badly?" Dudley had asked before returning to his TV programme, the cousins bitterly playing with their bowls of soggy cereal.

The next day was Sunday, and when her father sat at the table that particular morning he seemed far-too delighted considering how angry he'd been the night before when he discovered a whole mess of envelopes on his bed. "Fine day, Sundays! In my opinion, the best day of the week. Why is that, Dudley?" His son shrugged as he stuffed his mouth with bacon.

"Because there's no post on Sundays." Harry answered, pouring his uncle a mug of coffee.

"Right you are, Harry. 'No posts on Sundays'." He chuckled, taking a bite of his eggs. "No damn letters today! No sir, not one! Not one single, blasted, miserable let-"

All of a sudden, something flew out from the fireplace and hit Susanna's father sharply on the back of his head. Then another, until the house seemed to shake. And as it shook, what must have been hundreds of letters shot down through the chimney and soared into the living room and kitchen, covering the floor and filling the air with sharp envelopes.

The rest of the Dursleys ducked, but Susanna joined Harry in shooting up and grabbing a letter. She fell to the floor and pushed them around until she came across her name, written in dark green ink. Her moment of success was taken from her when her father managed to drag both her and Harry by their waists, making an escape for the hallway. "Out! OUT!" He bellowed. "That does it! We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!" Within ten minutes they were shoving their way out of the boarded-up house and climbing into the car. While Dudley sniffled - Vernon hadn't let him bring his VCR, television, or computer - Harry and Susanna looked back at 4 Privet Drive, where the letters from no one remained unopened.

* * *

They drove, and drove, and drove some more. Susanna had watched her mother occasionally make to open her mouth before smartly deciding against it. No one asked where they were going, not with the way Vernon was holding the steering wheel, half of his mustache missing as it'd been cut off by a letter. Susanna hoped one of hers had done it. They would make the occasional sharp turn. "Shake 'em off, shake 'em off." Her father would mumble to himself.

They hadn't stopped for so much as a quick break to stretch their legs. Susanna covered her ear when, by the end of their journey, Dudley began to howl and cry. He was hungry and had missed five television programmes already.

Her father had pulled outside what looked like the UK's most haunted hotel. It was on the outskirts of a big city - Cokeworth, if she'd read the sign right. Having most-likely guilted her husband into it, Petunia managed to secure a tiny room for Dudley. Harry and Susanna shared their own, sleeping on creaking twin beds with damp, itchy, musty sheets. They didn't sleep, though. Instead they shared the windowsill, sitting and staring out in the dark night silently.

The next morning Vernon had knocked rapidly on the door, ordering them to "get a move on!" Of course, the cousins were already dressed, having not changed for bed. The hotel served dismal food options, but still the stale cornflakes and cold, tinned tomatoes on toast were a welcome sight. They'd only just managed to swallow their last bites when the hotel's owner came shuffling over.

"'Scuse me, but is one of you a Mr. H. Potter and a Ms. S. Dursley? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink writing.

**_Mr. H. Potter and Ms. S. Dursley_**

**_Room 17_**

**_Railview Hotel_**

**_Cokeworth_**

Harry - who was closest to the woman - made a grab for the letter but Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. "I'll take them." The man told her, standing up quickly and following her out. A handful of minutes later, they were driving away from the Railview Hotel.

After nearly an hour of driving, Susanna's mother cleared her throat. In a timid voice, she asked her husband, "Wouldn't it just be better to go home, dear?" But Vernon didn't seem to hear her. He was far too busy driving and mumbling to himself. Susanna would've worried they were lost if she hadn't already known her father had no clue where they were going.

He first drove them into the forest, forbidding them from leaving the car as he got out and looked around. Moments later he was shaking his head and climbing back in, and off they went. He did the same thing three times; in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel garage. That's where they'd spent the night. They stopped to spend the night at another hotel but left before the sun was even up. They'd never know how many letters those confused hotel workers received.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley bemoaned. Susanna was looking out the window, watching as the rain slid down the window. After driving non-stop for almost twelve hours, her father had parked them at the coast and locked them inside the car, and they hadn't seen him since. "It's Tuesday! _The Great Humberto_'s on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."

Tuesday. So it's been a week since the first two letters arrived. Susanna sighed and peered around Dudley to stare at Harry. Oh. Tuesday. Which meant tomorrow was Wednesday, the 31st of July. Harry's birthday. _Oh no!_ In their rush to leave the house, she'd left his gift under her bed! She had wanted him to have as good a birthday as would be possible in the Dursley house. She even had enough left to buy him some ice cream from the local shop.

The driver's door opened and her father peered in, a long parcel and a tied-up plastic bag in hand. "Darling, what is that?" Petunia asked, looking terribly worried. Vernon didn't answer her, though. He just kept smiling dangerously, and waved a free hand.

"Found the perfect place! Come on, everyone out!"

Wary of her father and the package in his hand Susanna was the first one out of the car. She shivered as the rain pelted down on her, her clothes clinging to her shaking form. Her little duffle was just as wet, which meant her other outfits would be just as wet.

Her father pointed to a large rock in the middle of the sea. Resting on top was an old shack out of a horror film. Unfortunately for all of those in favor of staying sane, there'd most likely be no TV, which meant Dudley would be at his absolute worst. "Stork forecast for tonight!" Her father grinned, clapping his hands and leading everyone towards the broken-down docks.

"How could you possibly know that?" Susanna sarcastically replied, though a crack of thunder made her wit go unheard.

"This gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" Vernon announced, and a toothless man walked over to them, pointing to an old rowboat bobbing along on the black water. Susanna gulped and looked between her father and Dudley, more than a little concerned of the coat tipping over. "I've already got us some rations, so all aboard!" Uncle Vernon got in first, face a little green as the boat rocked. He helped his wife in first, then Dudley. With as much balance as Madame Dulaine taught her Susanna gracefully climbed aboard, wary of shifting the weight of the boat too much. She helped Harry in, making sure they shared the other end of the bench so they wouldn't tip.

Her father rowed them across the choppy waves. Salt water sprayed all over them, beyond freezing and as sharp as knives. The rain only seemed to be falling harder, and heavy winds seemed to slap them in their faces. It felt like they'd been at sea for hours when her father finally reached the shore. He tied the rope to the dock and got out first, Dudley scrambling after him. Petunia shrieked as the boat bucked like a wild horse but Susanna was quick to act. She lunged forward to grab onto the rope and steady them. Fortunately the rest of the inhabitants of the rowboat were far lighter than the two that had just exited. Still she could feel the callouses on her hands starting to rip.  
Vernon helped his wife out and Susanna nodded for Harry to follow after her mother, needing to keep the boat steady so her cousin wouldn't fall in and get pulled away by the current. It was Petunia who helped her out, and Susanna blinked in confusion when her mother lifted her hands and checked her over.

"Come on! We need to get out of the rain!" Her father bellowed over the growing storm. They slipped their way to the broken-down shack.

The inside was even more unpleasant than the outside, and Susanna was sure her father had found a haunted house to sleep in for what would hopefully only be the night. It stank of months-old seaweed and there were large gaps in the house walls that allowed the cold air to blow in. The walls and floor were damp, there was mold in the corners of what barely passed as a living room, and Susanna was completely sure the empty fireplace would never work. There seemed to only be one room up the stairs, which her mother cautiously walked up with her and her husband's belongings. Vernon set the long parcel down on a rickety table and opened the plastic bag. He pulled out five packets of crisps and five bananas which Harry and Susanna did their best to savor. Still, they had to be quick about it as the hungry Dudley finished his in a matter of seconds and licked his lips at his twin's and cousin's "dinner".

Susanna watched sadly as her father attempted to start up a fire with the empty crisp packets, but they only shriveled up and smoked. Petunia coughed primly, eyeing the smoking fireplace as though it had personally betrayed her.

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" Vernon said cheerfully, missing the deadly glare his daughter threw his way, her arms crossed and her wet red hair seeming as to be the color of blood. He was in a good mood, after all, pleased that he'd found a place no one would dare try to deliver the mail.

Dudley yawned tiredly and Petunia jumped into action. She disappeared for a few moments, returning with moldy sheets. She set up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa, passing a thinner blanket to her daughter. Harry just folded up a few of his hand-me-down tees to make himself a pillow.

After her brother had changed into his striped pajamas Susanna entered the loo, noting it looked like it came straight out of a nightmare. She finished her night time routine as quickly as she could and made a mad dash for the living room, waiting for Harry to return. He came back just as freaked out as she was, and they lay down beside one another. Dudley snored on the couch next to her, and Susanna watched with sad eyes as her cousin continued to shake with the cold. "Take it. My pajamas are much warmer than yours." She whispered, handing him the raggedy blanket and curly into herself.

"You'll get sick, Suze." Harry whispered back, eyes wide at the gesture. Susanna smiled when he stopped shivering.

"And my mum'll get me to the doctor, if I do. Probably. I want to take care of you, Harry. Someone has to take care of you. Besides, it's the least I deserve."

"_Stop it_."

"No, I was absolutely horrid to you. My parents and Ickle Dudleykins are even worse." Susanna shook her head, her thoughts traveling down memory lane. "All because I wouldn't think for myself."

"You were a kid. We still are."

"That's no excuse, Harry. You were always kind to me. _Always_." Susanna quietly reminded him. "I'll never be half as good a person as you, but I'm trying." She promised. "I'm not just… I'm not just doing it because I feel guilty. I do really love you, Harry. You're more my brother than Dudley is, and I'm so sorry I missed all those years of being your friend for the sake of making my parents proud of me."

Harry took her hand. "I know you do. You're more than a cousin to me, too. You're my sister. I forgave you the day you saved my life. Why can't you forgive yourself?" Susanna shrugged, blinking away some tears.

"Maybe I don't want to. Maybe I'm scared I'll forget how I was, and I'll go back to being the old me."

"You won't, though. Because that girl was never who you _really_ were." Susanna sighed at his words, and they fell into a comfortable silence. Well, they were quiet. Upstairs her father was snoring as loud as Dudley, and the high waves kept splattering the walls of the house, shaking it while the wind rattled the windows.

Neither Susanna nor Harry could sleep, though she kept closing her eyes. When she opened them again Harry was leaning up on an elbow, his eyes trained on the couch. Susanna turned and her eyes roved around her snoring brother until she took note of the watch on his large wrist. Digital, the little screen was lit up to announce the time. It was five-to-midnight, almost Harry's birthday.

She turned to watch her cousin, taking in how sadly he focused on the clock. Getting an idea she rose from the floor and walked over to the hearth, taking note of the soot spread all over the floor before the useless fireplace. "What are you doing?" Harry hissed, but she only put a finger to her lips to shush him before looking down at the dirty ground before her. With a delicate touch, she drew a large cake into the ground, giving it some dimension as she added eleven candles. She wrote "Happy Birthday Harry" in a large font and smiled at her work, beckoning him over. He tilted his head but did as asked, smiling softly when he saw what she had drawn for him.

"We can pretend it's whatever flavor you'd like, until we go back to Privet Drive. I left your present, there, and I saved some extra money for ice cream. Happy birthday, Freak." She whispered with a smile, and he sniffed in a happy sort of way. Dudley's watch beeped, signalling it was midnight. "Make a wish, Harry."

He took her hand and leaned forward, exhaling deeply across the cake. The ash scattered, and he was speak -

**BOOM!**

The whole shack shook and the cousins jumped, latching onto each other in fear. It wasn't the wind that had made that noise. Someone was outside, knocking heavily on the door.

* * *

**Another note: I know that when Muggle-borns are made aware of their wizard/witch status a member of the Hogwarts staff delivers the letter. However, since she's Harry's cousin and Petunia was there when Lily found out she was a witch, I figured that it'd be different than, let's say, how Hermione found out. **


	3. The Keeper Of The Keys

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads! **

**Okay, we've reached reveal time. We know who shows up at the door - or do we? (DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN)**

**Ha, I'm just kidding. It's our favorite half-giant Hagrid. This chapter was a fun one to write, especially when it comes to Susanna observing her mother. We get little hints of Petunia's complex behavior in this - not only towards Lily, but her dynamic with Susanna vs. Dudley as well. Her complexity will only continue to grow in this story, and you'll get a bit more of it in the next chapter. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

**BOOM!**

Whoever was outside knocked again. Dudley jerked awake, sending a confused look to his cousins. "Where's the canon?" He asked, still half asleep.

Something crashed upstairs, and heavy footsteps rushed down the stairs. Susanna turned to see her father looking around wildly, a bloody rifle in his hands. So that's what he'd brought with them. The girl had gone pale, staring at her father with more fear than she cared to admit.

"Who's there?!" Vernon shouted, Petunia cowering behind him, hair pinned up in rollers. "I warn you - I'm armed!"

Silence. Then…

**SMASH!**

The person on the other side had hit the door with more force than the old slab of wood could take. It fell right off its hinges, landing on the ground with a devastating blow. Harry and Susanna scooted closer to the fireplace, and a giant man stepped towards the now-empty door frame.

He had great shaggy hair that fell in thick curls and a wild, tangled beard. His eyes glinted like black beetles, and he surveyed the shack as he ducked inside. He bent down to pick up the door and shoved it back into frame, quieting the storm raging outside.

He turned to look at the five people blinking up at him, a bushy eyebrow raised. "Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" He gruffed out and thudded his way to the couch. Dudley stared up at him with wide eyes, his whole body vibrating. "Budge up, yeh great lump!" The giant of a stranger ordered. Dudley squeaked and ran away, hiding behind his mother when she and Vernon had finished walking down the stairs.

"An' here's Harry!" The stranger crowed, and the cousins watched a smile form on the giant's face, only slightly hidden by his beard. "Las' time I saw yeh, yeh was only a baby! Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." He looked from the boy to the girl next to him, and gasped. "Blimey. Yeh look jus' like Lily!" The girl blinked up at him. Her mother had only ever shown her pictures of the late Mrs. Evans, but she hadn't known she looked like her aunt, too. "Nice to meet yeh, Susanna."

Her father made an odd raspy sound. "I demand that you leave at once, sire! You are breaking and entering!" He'd walked closer to the stranger since the even-larger man began to talk, standing right behind the giant with the rifle pointed at his long mane.

Without turning around the stranger tore the gun from Vernon's grasp. "Ah, shut up Dursley, yeh great prune!" He bent the rifle into a knot with his bare hands and chucked it into a corner of the room. The Dursley patriarch squeaked. "Anyway, Harry - a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here. I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste fine just the same."

The giant reached into the pocket of his black overcoat and pulled out a slightly smushed box. He passed it over to Harry, who opent it with trembling fingers. Susanna reached out and steadied the giant's gift, her cousin smiling shakily at her.

The box contained a sticky chocolate cake with pink frosting. Scrawled on top in green icing were the words "Happy Birthday Harry".

He looked like he wanted to thank him, but instead asked, "Who are you?" Susanna nodded next to him, and the giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." Rubeus Hagrid shook Harry's whole arm with his large hand, doing the same to Susanna. "What about that tea then, eh?" He said, and the giant rubbed his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat if yeh've got it, mind." Susanna looked behind her, at what Hagrid was snorting at. The shriveled up crisp bags were still in the fireplace. The giant stood and walked over to it, the cousins moving out of the way. Hagrid bent over it, his whole body blocking their views. Moments later he stepped back, warming his hands in front of the now roaring fireplace. A wonderful warmth crept all through the shack and the cousins on the floor sighed in relief, their shivers fading.

They all watched as the giant sat back down on the lumpy couch and began emptying his large pockets. He pulled out a copper kettle, a package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, some mugs (all of which had been chipped), and a bottle of amber liquid. Susannah supposed it must've been a brandy, and she caught her father's interest peaking when he took note of it. The giant ignored all this, though. He just took a swig from the bottle and began to make some tea with a box of loose tea leaves. As the sausages cooked on the poker the whole broken-down house started to smell divine - the sizzling meats were erasing the gross old-seaweed scent.

When the first six sausages had finished cooking, the giant slid the slightly burnt bangers from the poker and rolled them onto a plate. Dudley crept out from around his mother and licked his lips, but Vernon shook his head. "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."

Rubeus Hagrid laughed, though it was anything but cheerful. "Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley." He looked down at the cousins, taking in how small they both were compared to Dudley. Susanna looked from Hagrid to Harry, then back, and it seemed like the giant understood because he set the plate down in front of Harry. Susanna's own stomach rumbled, but she shook her head when Harry offered her a juicy sausage. He needed it more than her.

"Here yeh go, Susanna." The giant passed her another plate, and she smiled up at him before digging into the first of her six sausages. She finished one before she glanced up at the giant. He was pouring himself a cup of tea.

"I'm sorry, but we still don't know who you really are." Harry spoke up, wiping his mouth with the back of his old flannel. Susanna nodded in agreement.

"Call me Hagrid, everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course. Yeh too, Susanna, what with Lily being yer aunt."

"Er, no."

"What's a Hogwarts?" Harry and Susanna responded, and Hagrid looked down at them in total shock.

"Sorry." Harry apologized, and Susanna shrugged apologetically, though she caught the look her parents exchanged. It was anything but pleasant.

"_Sorry?_" Hagrid shouted incredulously, and then turned to gesture at the rest of Susanna's family. They had tried to hide in the shadows of the hut. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh two weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yey mum never tell yeh what yer aunt could do?" He asked Susanna, who shook her head. "Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" He looked down at Harry.

Susanna watched as he tilted his head. "All what?"

The giant exploded, his voice louder than the rolling thunder outside. "ALL WHAT? Now wait jus' one second!" He jumped up from the couch and turned back to the Dursleys, who were doing their best to blend into the wall of the hut. "Do you mean ter tell me that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"

Susanna tried not to snort when she saw the offended look on her cousin's face. "I know _some_ things." The boy argued. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."

"I'm not sure that's what he meant, Harry." Susanna half-whispered, and the giant seemed to catch it because he snorted and pointed at her.

"Yer cousin's right, Harry. About _our_ world, I mean _yer_ world, and _yer's_." He gestured to Harry then Susanna. "_My_ world. _Yer parents' world, Harry!_"

"What world is that? Is it on Earth or up there?" Susanna asked, pointing up to the sky. They'd learned about other planets in school, and she hadn't meant to sound so sardonic, but she was sure this was all just one big strange dream.

Hagrid became so enraged that Susanna feared the shack would come down around them. "DURSLEY!" He roared, addressing Vernon.

Susanna's father was shaking like a leaf. A pale, damp leaf. He seemed to whisper something, and Hagrid looked back at the cousins on the ground. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad." His voice was soft as he spoke to Harry. "I mean they're _famous_. Yer _famous_."

"What? My - my mum and dad weren't famous, were they? Were they?" Harry looked over at Susanna, and she shrugged.

"Like I wouldn't tell if I knew. Honestly, Harry."

"Yeh don't know… yeh don't know…" The giant shook his head, looking completely lost. "Yeh don't know what yeh are? Either of yeh?" The cousins shook their heads once more, but before Hagrid could continue Susanna's father stepped forward, face still pale but a furious expression plastered onto it.  
"Stop! Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!" Her father commanded, though the giant only raised an eyebrow and huffed in amusement, like a child had said something particularly funny. Still, that huff turned into rage, and Hagrid was shaking once more, a ticking time bomb.

"Yeh never told him? Never told him what was in the letters Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' yeh've kept it from him all these years? An' yer daughter? Yeh never told yer daughter the truth? Yeh ought to have known, what with yeh marrying Lily's sister!" Hagrid glanced at Petunia. "Yeh never told Susanna what she is? But it's not a surprise, is it? Yeh've noticed what she can do, right? Yeh've been honest with her?"

"Mum?" Susanna asked, standing up.

"Kept _what_ from me?" Harry asked, and Susanna nodded in agreement at his eagerness.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" Her father panicked, but her mother stood her ground, though her eyes were clearly terrified. But when she stared back at Susanna, the girl thought she looked… guilty? But also somehow free, like some weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Still, the woman was a little tense.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh." Hagrid waved them off and turned to Harry and Susanna, the rage leaving his body. "Harry, yer a wizard. An' Susanna, yer a witch."

The cousins seemed to have stopped breathing, the whole shack quiet. Susanna looked at her parents, her brother, Harry, but words had escaped her. _A witch. Witches were real. She was a witch._

They hadn't left Harry, though. "We're what?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"A witch and wizard, o' course." Hagrid returned to the couch, sitting with a heavy sigh. The old piece of furnitured sagged and groaned under his weight, and Susanna was surprised it hadn't broken yet. "An a thumpin' good wizard, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?" Susanna sat back down and took Harry's hand, looking into his matching green eyes and smiling in reassurance. "I reckon it's abou' time yeh two read yer letters."

Harry stretched out his hand to grab the two offered letters. He handed one to Susanna, who released him in favor of holding the yellowish envelope. She gasped when she saw what was written in green ink.

**Ms. S. Dursley**

**The Floor**

**Hut-on-the-Rock**

**The Sea**

With shaking hands she tore the wax seal and pulled out the letter. Her green eyes roved over the words, taken aback by the news she'd received.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Dursley,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

She had so much to ask, yet so much began to make sense. Catching Harry when he was pushed from the roof, what had happened on her birthday at the zoo. Earlier memories came back, like that time when Dudley's game had been somehow transformed into spiders when he broke Susanna's bike. She had been so angry, and she knew her twin was afraid of the little arachnids - she was the only one who knew, he'd told her about it in private. And she blamed Harry, who was forced back into the cupboard without a meal for five days, and she hadn't been the way she was… she hadn't snuck him food…

Susanna's eyes watered and she covered her mouth, guilt taking over. How many unusual things had she done that were blamed on Harry before she even knew she wasn't normal? She looked at Harry, who was too consumed by his letter to notice her. Hagrid had, though. "Yeh alright, Susanna? I know it can be a lot, but it's the truth."

She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes, pretending there was no turmoil going on inside her mind. "I'm alright. Thank you, Hagrid." The giant beamed down at her.

"What does it mean, they await my owl?" Harry asked.

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me." Hagrid slapped his forehead before pulling an owl - an owl, Susanna thought in awe - out of his pocket. It fluffed it's feathers, rightfully ruffled looking. Hagrid also took out a quill and a roll of parchment. Had he not heard of a pen and paper?

He began to write, the scroll spread out on a massive thigh. His handwriting was large enough that Susanna could read it upside down.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Given Harry and Susanna their letters.**

**Taking them to buy their things tomorrow.**

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**Hagrid**

He gave the now rolled-up parchment to the owl, the note clamped in its beak. He stood - the couch groaning at the lack of a weight - crossed over to a broken window and slid it over so he could toss the owl out. As it flew off the storm, Susanna couldn't help but worry the poor creature would get hurt.

Hagrid returned, acting as if nothing peculiar had just happened. Susanna supposed that was because it was all perfectly normal for the giant. He sat back down on the couch, and Susanna reached over to shut Harry's gaping mouth.

"Where was I?" Hagrid asked himself. Before he could reclaim his train of thought Susanna's father had suddenly become brave enough to walk into the firelight, looming over his nephew and daughter.

"They're not going!"

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop them."

"A what?"

"What's a Muggle?" Harry and Susanna asked.

Hagrid grunted. "A Muggle, it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's yer bad luck yeh grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." Hagrid looked from Harry to Susanna, smiling gently at the girl. "I mean no offense, but then again yer not a Muggle, either."

"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish! Swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" Vernon shouted. "Then he went and turned my daughter into one, too! My little girl, just like him and his parents! He ruined my perfect little girl!" Susanna flinched at his words, Harry protectively holding onto her wrist. Susanna wrenched her arm out of his hand, though, and shot up like a rocket to glare at her father, barely as tall as his elbow.

"It's not Harry's fault! None of this is Harry's fault! Stop blaming him for something as simple as genetics!" She shouted back.

"You _knew_? You knew I'm a - a wizard? And Suze is a - a witch?"

"Knew!" Susanna jumped as her mother let out an unholy shriek. "_Knew!_ Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?" Petunia scoffed, throwing her head back and crossing her arms, rollers in her hair askew. "Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that - that _school_ \- and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a _freak!_ But for my mother and father, oh no, it was always _Lily this_ and _Lily that_, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" Susanna caught her mother looking quickly over at Dudley, her mouth in a scowl but her eyes concerned and sad. _How could she possibly feel sad for him? He was her perfect child, after all, her most precious gift._ Susanna wanted to scream that at her, but Harry's shaking grabbed her attention. She took her cousin's hand in solidarity.

Her mother took a deep breath. "Then she met that _Potter_ at school and they left and got married," she continued to rant, years of well-hidden information tumbling out of her mouth, "and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just as strange, just as… as… _abnormal_. And then, if you please, she went and got herself _blown up and we got landed with you!_"

"Blown up?" Harry asked, completely white. "You told me they died in a car crash!" He rightfully accused, his small frame tense with rage.

"CAR CRASH?!" Hagrid jumped up from the couch, the rest of Susanna's family scurrying away, back into their corner of the hut. The storm outside was less dangerous than the one coming off the giant. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name?!"

"So tell him!" Susanna shouted, drawing Hagrid's attention away from her parents and brother. "If they won't, you should. He needs to know, we need to know. Please, you're the first person to tell us the truth about who we are! Harry deserves to know what happened to his parents. Please?" Susanna pleaded.

An anxious Hagrid exhaled and scrubbed a large hand over his face. "I never expected this. I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much both o' yeh didn't know." He looked at Harry, who's cousin had wrapped an arm around his shoulders protectively. "Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh. But yer cousin's right, someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." He sat down on the couch once more - after throwing another angry look at the Dursley parents - and looked into the fireplace. "Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it… It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"

"Who?" Harry interrupted, and the giant swallowed.

"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" Hagrid moved his mouth, but no words came out.

"Would it be better to write it down?" Susanna asked.

Hagrid only shook his head. "Nah, can't spell it. Alright - Voldemort. Don' make me say it again." Hagrid shuddered, then continued speaking. "Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, alright. Dark days, yeh two. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. _Horribly._ One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway." Hagrid sighed and looked from the roaring fire to Harry, and Susanna kept holding her cousin. "Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head Boy an' Girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an'... an'..." Hagrid stopped in favor of blowing his nose in a spotty handkerchief. Susanna felt tears sliding down her cheeks as she looked at Harry, who seemed worlds away.

"Sorry." Hagrid apologized. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people you couldn't find. Anyway… You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too." Susanna held onto Harry tighter, as though he were in danger right that moment. Her cousin moved closer to her, his arm around her shoulders as well. "Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead?" Susanna looked up at the lightning bolt scar above his right eyebrow. Harry's free hand reached up to trace it, and the cousins looked at each other before glancing back at Hagrid. "That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work out on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the Mckinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you _lived_." Susanna looked over Hagrid's shoulder and at Petunia. The woman's focus was on the wall, an unreadable expression on her face. Susanna wondered if her mother really did hate aunt Lily as much as she claimed. "Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh to this lot -"

"Load of tosh!" Her father interrupted the giant, courage seemingly restored. He glared at Hagrid, body shaking in fury as his fists clenched and unclenched. "Now you listen here, boy." Her father snarled at Harry. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured - and as for all this about your parents, well, they were were weirdos, not denying, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"

"Dad!" Susanna interrupted her father, beyond angry. "Stop!"

"And as for you, girl. You mother and I hoped and wished you'd turned out as normal as Dudley. SO what went wrong, eh?" He narrowed his brown eyes. "Why can't you just be normal -"

"I'm warning you, Dursley -" Hagrid jumped up and pulled a pink umbrella out of his coat, jabbing it towards Vernon. Susanna's father clammed up once more, his moment of bravery over. "I'm warning you, one more word…" When the man had been silent long enough Hagrid sat back down, the couch sagging straight to the floor.

"What happened to Vol-, sorry, I mean You-Know-Who?" Harry asked, Susanna nodding next to him.

"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. _Vanished._ Same night he tried ter kill yeh. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see. He was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?" Hagrid breathed in, then exhaled. "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers, too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - _I_ dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, alright."

Harry blinked, lost in thought. "Hagrid." He finally spoke, voice softer than Susanna's ever heard it. "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."

Hagrid laughed, much to both cousins' surprise. "Not a wizard, eh? Never made anything happen when you was scared or angry?"

Harry looked at Susanna, who nodded. Her bright green eyes pleaded with him to think about every strange thing both of them had ever done. All those times his hair seemed to grow back overnight when her mother had given him those awful, embarrassing haircuts. That time she was so angry the flowers refused to grow, and how the lilies outside the window of her father's old home office came back to life the day she truly let herself love her cousin. The boa constrictor at the zoo, the spiders, how she seemed to always fly onto trees when she was particularly excited to get out of the house.

Her cousin began to grin at her and Susanna nodded back, dimples appearing on her cheeks as she joined him in smiling.

Hagrid was beaming at them, when they returned their focus to the giant. "See? Harry Potter, not a wizard - yeh'll be right famous at Hogwarts. And Susanna, yeh don't have nothin' ter worry abou'. Plenty o' Muggle-borns have gone on ter make name's for 'emselves. Yeh look bright, yeh'll catch up right quick."

"Haven't I told you they are _not_ going?" Her father hissed, and the three looked over at the purple-faced man. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it." Vernon pointed to Harry, than to his daughter. "And she's going to keep up her ballet lessons and sweat out what makes her unnatural. You won't be taking our daughter!" The man shouted.

"If they want ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop them." Hagrid argued, glaring down at Mr. Dursley. "Stop Lily an' James Potters' son goin' ter Hogwarts? Yer mad! His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world! And as fer Susanna, I can't quite say I like the way yeh've been talkin' ter her. From where I'm sittin', it looks ter me like she wants ter go!" Susanna nodded in agreement, free hand on her hip. "Seven years there and they won't know 'emselves. They'll be with youngsters of their own sort fer a change, an' they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled-"

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH THEM MAGIC TRICKS!" Vernon Dursley finally exploded.

His behavior did nothing to keep Hagrid from matching his rage. Susanna backed Harry away towards a wall as Hagrid rose from the couch and descended on her father, his pink umbrella swishing over his head. "NEVER - INSULT - ALBUS - DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!" The giant bellowed over a wave crashing against the shack. He swung his umbrella down, but rather than point it at Vernon, he moved it down to the right -

And a violet flash flared in Susanna's eyes, and when it faded she could only stare in terrified amusement as her twin howled and squealed, turning his back to them… and revealed a pig's tale curling out of a hole in his pyjama bottoms.

Petunia screamed, Vernon roared, and the whisked the squealing boy up the stairs and into their room, the door slamming shut behind them. Susanna jumped at the sound, and a part of her wanted to chase after them and check on her brother. But she didn't, far too hurt and angry about everything that was hidden from her and Harry, too upset by how her father treated her.

Hagrid cleared his throat awkwardly and the cousins stepped forward, no longer latched onto each other. The giant stroked his beard. "Shouldn'ta lost me temper, but it didn't work, anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig there wasn't much left ter do." Hagrid sighed and shifted his weight a little nervously. "Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts. I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters ter yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job -"

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" Harry asked.

"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er- got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Why were you expelled?"

_"Harry, you don't just ask why someone was expelled!" _Susanna hissed at her tactless cousin, who blushed.

Hagrid cleared his throat and spoke much louder than was necessary, " It's gettin' later an' we've got lots ter do tomorrow. Gotta get up to town, get all yer book an' that." He pulled off his giant overcoat and passed it to Harry and Susanna. "Yeh two can kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets." With that he took a seat on the collapsed couch and the cousins moved back to their spot by the fireplace. Both were curled up under the coat - it was large enough to fold into a thick sleeping bag. Harry was snoring moments later, the sound of it drowned out by the giant. Susanna stared into the fireplace for hours, only falling asleep when the last of the embers had died.

* * *

**Another fun thing about writing this chapter was exploring Susanna's reaction to the news of what she is - on one hand, she knows she and Harry are strange, but giving it a label definitely makes it all the more real to her. A tiny part of her thinks she's dreaming, but the bigger part of her's seen too much for her too think what she is, is a mistake. Again, she _caught Harry mid-air_ and got him on ground safely after Dudley pushed him off the roof, then two years later Harry helped a boa constrictor escape captivity. There's no way that girl thinks she anything but normal, anyway.**


	4. Diagon Alley

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads! **

**Yeah, Diagon Alley time! Get ready to dive a little more into Susanna's character, find out what makes her tick. She makes a furry little friend, someone's made sure she's financially set (details to follow, but I'm sure you can piece together who asked for it to happen), and the wand chooses the witch! There's a lot of cute moments between Harry and Susanna.**

**Now, since we're following the books, we all know who shows up in this chapter. The amazing bouncing ferret himself. Now, before you start thinking there's about to be a huge confrontation between our pairing, I don't have them meet just yet. But as a**** result of what Draco tells Harry at Madam Malkin's, there's some canon Slytherin bashing. Listen, I'm a Gryffindor, but if I wasn't lacking in ambition I strongly believe I'd be a Slytherin instead. My lovely Slytherins, do not take this to heart. You're all wonderful. Just know that Susanna doesn't quite see it the same way Hagrid tells and Harry believes, but she's still scared by who she used to be, so you can imagine how terrified she is of being placed in a house of "bad people."**

**Also, her wand. There's a specific design I included that doesn't necessarily foreshadow what you think it might. Message me what you think it's suggesting, and I'll let you know what degree of right you are.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

"-anna. Susanna. Suze, come on. Time to get up."

_"Five more minutes, mum. Then I'll trim the soap."_

"What? No, Suze, it's Harry. Wake up."

Susanna bolted up, her thick blanket falling on a heap in her lap. She stretched and rubbed at her eyes, body sore with exhaustion. "Dad moving us again?"

"Here yeh go, kids. Harry, yer cake's still good ter eat, I reckon. Good mornin', Susanna."

The redhead blinked and looked up, Hagrid the giant walking towards them with a plate of left over sausages and Harry's boxed cake. Memories from the night before - or early morning - came rushing back to her, and she slid out of the makeshift sleeping bag to take the plate. "Thank you, Hagrid." Harry sat next to her, passing a chipped mug of tea over. She took it with a mumbled "thanks" and took her first bite of breakfast, smiling happily.

"Suze, want a piece?" Harry asked her, offering up a chunk of cake.

"Harry, no, it's yours -"

Ignoring his cousin he dumped it on her plate. "I didn't mean it as a question."

Susanna snorted and playfully shoved his shoulder. "You do remember I'm older than you, right? That means I'm the one who's supposed to be bossing you around."

"Eat your cake." Is all Harry said, but he smiled down at his box. "Would you like a piece as well, Hagrid?" The boy asked.

The giant cleared his throat. "Well, I wouldn' say no. Thanks, Harry." The boy passed over a large chunk as well, the giant humming happily before shoving on his giant boots. "We best be off, soon. Lot's ter do. We gotta get to London and buy all yer stuff for school."

Mid-sip, Susanna set her cup of tea down on the ground. "You mean, we have to shop?"

"Um, Hagrid… we haven't got any money - and you heard uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for us to go and learn magic." Harry added.

"Don't worry about that. D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But if they're house was destroyed -" Harry started, but Hagrid waved him off. Susanna crossed her arms over her chest. She was happy it seemed Harry would be able to afford this new life, but she… her parents were nothing like her late aunt and uncle. She didn't want to ask Harry for a loan, it just didn't feel right borrowing from him.

"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first step fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank."

"Wizards have _banks?_" Harry asked, incredulous. Susanna was too deep in thought to tease him, but she was brought back to the present when her cousin exclaimed "_Goblins?!_"

"Goblins?" She asked.

Hagrid looked her over, clearly concerned by her confusion. "Yeah. They run the bank. So yeh'd be mad to try and rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, yeh two. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid perked up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' yeh two - gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."

"What about Susanna, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"Well, what about her?" The giant responded, scratching his head.

"They'll let me share my… my money with her, right? So she can buy things. I don't mind doing it." Harry turned to her, his bright green eyes earnest.

Susanna shook her head, blushing. "No, no, it's really alright. I can figure -"

"There's no need for that, Harry." Hagrid interrupted the cousins, smiling down gently at the redhead. "Yeh got a vault, too."

"How? What? Why?" She asked. "My parents never -"

"Dumbledore didn' tell me the specifics. Just said yeh've been taken care o'."

"That sounds ominous." Susanna muttered under her breath, Harry snorting next to her. "Here, I'll go get changed. Have the rest, Harry."

"Thanks, Suze."

It didn't take long for Susanna to freshen up, mostly because she wanted to be as far away from the bathroom and her family as possible. She wasn't even sure if they were still there or not.

Nevertheless, she had nothing of importance in her bag except for her sketchbook and pencil, so she left the rest of her meager belongings next to the couch, Harry doing the same when he'd finished.

"Got everythin'? Here, I'll take that, jus' remind me I got it, yeah? Come on, then." Hagrid led them out of the shack, pocketing her sketchbook and pencil gingerly in his coat.

Now that the storm was over, the sky seemed to have cleared. There were still a few clouds floating above them, but the sunlight made the surface of the sea shimmer like diamonds. The boat they'd taken last night was still docked, only it was half-filled with water after the storm. "How did you get here, Hagrid?" Harry asked the giant, and Susanna noticed there wasn't a second boat.

"Flew." The giant answered as he lifted the boat to pour out the excess water, carefully setting it back down.

"Flew?"

"Like… on a broom?" Harry and Susanna asked, talking over each other.

Hagrid brushed off their questions. "We'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." Hagrid stepped into the boat, then helped the cousins in. Susanna was honestly surprised the boat didn't sink considering Hagrid's gigantic form, but decided to just label it a miracle and hope nothing happened to them while they were rowing.

Hagrid sighed, staring forlornly at the oars. "Seems a shame ter row, though." He cleared his throat and looked at Harry and Susanna. "If I was ter - er - _speed_ things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not." Harry replied, and Susanna nodded eagerly, both excited to see more magic. Hagrid grinned and untied the rope from the docks. He pulled out his pink umbrella and tapped it on the side of the boat. As they set off for land, moving at a far faster rate than when her father rowed - Harry cleared his throat. "Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" He asked the giant.

"Spells, enchantments." Hagrid had pulled out a newspaper and opened it, and Susanna could swear the pictures were _moving_. "They say there's a dragons guardin' the high-security vaults. And yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." Hagrid clicked his tongue and shook his head, clearly having read something that irritated him. Often times Vernon would huff when reading his morning paper, or rant irritably about it to his wife for hours. "Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual." He sighed and turned the page.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Susanna asked, intrigued.

"Course." Hagrid didn't look up from his paper as he answered her. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if there ever was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every mornin', askin' fer advice."

"But what does the Ministry of Magic do?" Harry asked. Still a little tired, Susanna gave him a look.

"Did you just not pay attention in class when we talked about different governments?"

"This is a world of _magic_ we're talking about! It's not like our lessons covered _that._" Harry huffed back, arms thrown up.

"_Still._"

"Alright, yeh two." Hagrid chuckled. "Our Ministry's main job is ter keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."

"Why?"

"Okay, seriously. We learned all about the witch hunts at the end of last year!" Susanna exclaimed, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"She's right. Some'd also be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." The boat rocked into the harbor wall and Hagrid put his paper away, helping them out.

"How will my family get off the island?" Susanna asked, staring at the hut on the rock. "I know they're awful, but…"

"I'll send it back." Hagrid smiled down at her. "It's nice o' yeh, ter want ter help them."

Susanna hummed, wishing they were good enough people to want to help her, too. "Thanks." Is all she said, and as the boat sailed back to the island she let Harry drag her after Hagrid.

As they walked through the small town, its inhabitants would stop and stare at the colossal man. Not just for his size - he had a habit of pointing to different things and speaking loudly about them. As they passed a parking meter, he scoffed and said, "See that, yeh two? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" Susanna had thought they were meant to be discreet, but it seemed like the confused villagers simply assumed they were tourists, and eventually went on their way.

"Hagrid," Harry was panting as they did their best to keep up - Susanna wasn't fairing much better, but all those years of ballet was definitely helping her stamina, "did you say that there are _dragons_ at Gringotts?" Harry finished, catching his breath.

Hagrid shrugged. "Well, so they say." He then hummed, looking a little wistful. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"You'd like one?" Harry asked.

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go." Hagrid announced as they stopped in front of the train station. As "Muggle money" seemed to confuse him, Harry and Susanna took care of purchasing their tickets. People continued their staring on the train, but Hagrid paid them no mind as he began knitting what appeared to be a yellow tent. "Still got yer letters?" He asked, not looking up from his stitches.

"Right here." Susanna answered for the two cousins, and they pulled out the envelopes that had caused all that trouble.

"Good. There's a list of everything yeh'll need inside." Hagrid kept knitting while the cousins pulled out the second piece of parchment paper. Susanna hummed to herself as she read, growing more and more confused and enamored every line.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for special events_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginners' Guide in Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

_1 wand_

_1 cauldon (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE ALSO REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Can we really buy all this in London?" Harry asked, and Susanna looked up at the giant.

Hagrid didn't pause in his stitching, but smiled. "If yeh know where to go."

* * *

Susanna had been to London many times over the years. When her father still loved her - which was a difficult truth to swallow even after two years, that he no longer loved her - he'd often take her with him to work on school holidays. She'd had a lot of ballet recitals there as well, but she wouldn't say she knew London like the back of her hand. Still, she knew it far better than Harry, who'd never been to London before.

For all he didn't understand of the "Muggle world", Hagrid obviously knew where they were going. His huge size parted the crowd easily, the cousins walking close behind him so they wouldn't get separated. They passed book shops, record stores, restaurants, cinemas - places Susanna wished she could stop at to explore.

Still, none of those places looked like the kind of stores you'd stop in to buy wands or dragonhide gloves. It was difficult to even believe that thousands upon thousands of miles below there were vaults guarded by dragons and run by goblins.

"This is it," Hagrid stopped walking and Susanna nearly collided with the back of his thigh, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."

_How could a famous place be so grubby-looking?_ Susanna thought to herself, before remembering that a lot of famous places were famous because they'd been around for so long, so of course quite a few would look unassuming.

Susanna looked around, curious as to if anyone else was going inside. Strangely, passerbys just seemed to walk by as if this "famous place" didn't exist. Where were the tourists taking their pictures? Or locals hoping in for a quick bite or drink - Susanna wasn't innocent to the notion that drinking happened all day for some people; her father had complained enough about the "drunken behavior of ingrates" over the years.

But instead, these passerbys eyes seemed to pass from the bookending shops on either side of the pub, their eyes seeming to glaze over if they did glance towards the Leaky Cauldron. "Can they not see it?" Susanna asked Hagrid.

"Glamour spell. It comes in useful, what with hidin' us from Muggles. C'mon, yeh two." Hagrid explained, then steered them inside the pub.

It was dark and shabby, and definitely not the kind of establishment she'd ever imagine her parents entering. A group of old women had congregated in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of Sherry and laughing loudly. One was even smoking from a long pipe! There was a little man wearing a top hat, and he was busily chatting with the old bartender. The man behind the bar was very bald and practically toothless, leaving Susanna to wonder if there were any dentists in the wizarding world.

As soon as the pub goers noticed the three newcomers, the chatting stopped. It was practically comical, a few mid-sip with their cheeks bulging before they swallowed their drinks. Quite a few waved to Hagrid, who nodded back with a gentle smile.

"The usual, Hagrid?" The bartender asked, pulling out a glass.

"Can't, Tom. I'm on Hogwarts business." Hagrid clapped Harry on the shoulder. The boy buckled but Susanna was quick to catch him.

"Good Lord." The bartender - Tom - gasped, eyes blown wide as he stared down at the cousins. No, down at Harry. "Is this… can this be -?" He cut himself off, and you could hear a pin drop the pub was so silent.

Tom rushed out from behind the bar and rushed to Harry. "Bless my soul! The Boy Who Lived! Harry Potter, what an honor!" He eagerly began shaking Susanna's cousin's hand. "Welcome back Mr. Potter, welcome back."

Chairs scrapped on the worn floor as the regulars jumped from their seats and hurried to Harry. Susanna yelped as she was practically wrenched away from Harry's side, pushed away by the crowd. The witches and wizards surrounding her introduced themselves eagerly, but Susanna couldn't make out any names as she'd been nearly shoved out the door. She wove her way through, doing her best to avoid being hit by the oblivious-but-enthusiastic crowd.

Harry had just finished speaking to the wizard in the top hat when he saw her, and Susanna hurried to ground her clearly overwhelmed cousin. She took his hand and squeezed, knowing closed spaces made him anxious on a good day - they could only thank her parents for that. As the rest of the crowd continued their introductions, she made sure to hold onto Harry, squeezing his hand twice every other person.

A tall, pale young man stepped in front of them, wringing his hands nervously, left eye twitching. "Professor Quirrell!" Hagrid announced. "Harry, Susanna, Professor Quirrell will be one o' yer teachers at Hogwarts."

"M-Mr. P-P-Potter." He grasped Harry's hand, shaking it. "C-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to me-meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked, and the professor released his hand before offering it out to Susanna, who shook it.

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts." He muttered, and dropped Susanna's hand in favor of wringing his again. "N-Not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He chuckled nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires m-myself." Susanna took in his scared expression, but the man was unable to continue talking to him as the other patrons grew tired of his time with Harry.

It took nearly ten more minutes to get away from the crowd. Finally, Hagrid cleared his throat. "Must get on. Lots ter buy. Come on Harry, Susanna." An old witch who kept coming back to shake Harry's hand finally relented, and the giant steered the cousins away from the pub.

They walked through the back door, coming to a dead end in the form of a brick wall and small courtyard. "Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous!" Hagrid crowed to Harry. "Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?" Susanna asked.

Hagrid hummed and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - now, where's my umbrella?"

As Hagrid rummaged around his pockets looking for the pink object, Susanna thought about what he said. She wondered how a man scared of his own subject would still want to teach it - certainly there was something else he'd be able to do, if it was so hard for him to get past what he had seen. Her father's voice rang in her head, "Well, you know what they say. Those who can't do, teach, even if it's they do it poorly." He'd often said that after speaking to Dudley's teachers about her twin's grades, often claiming that the people in charge of his education were to blame. She pushed Vernon Dursley's voice away, though. Surely Professor Quirrell still capable, or the school wouldn't have kept him on.

By then Hagrid had pulled out his umbrella. He began counting the bricks above a garbage can, humming to himself while the cousins watched in anticipation. "Three up… two across…" He muttered. "Right, stand back, yeh two." Hagrid tapped the wall three times. The bricks he touched quivered, causing a chain reaction that had the rest of the wall wriggling, the bricks seeming to fold away from themselves to create a hole in the middle. The hole grew wider and wider, until a cobbled street was revealed. The cousins' mouth gaped in shock, and they held tightly onto one another's hands. "Welcome," Hagrid grinned down at the children beside him, "to Diagon Alley."

"OW! Suze!" Harry yelped, rubbing his elbow and glaring at his cousin.

She didn't notice his look, far too busy setting big green eyes on the sight in front of her. "Sorry. Thought I was dreaming."

"Then why did you pinch _me?_"

Susanna's heart swelled with awed disbelief as they walked through the archway big enough for even Hagrid. The sun shone brightly down onto the cobblestone street, the light mirrored in the reflections of the glass windows of the shops lining the crowded walkway. The buildings were tilted and slanted, off-center and gravity-defying.

They passed by a cauldron shop first. The sign above it read, "Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible."

"We'll get yer cauldrons there, but we gotta get yer money first." Hagrid told them, walking closely behind the two cousins and staring around protectively. As they walked up the street the cousins pointed and gasped to each other, Susanna's eyes stuck on a beautiful black cat with bright blue eyes. It seemed to be staring back at her, hissing at any person that came to close to his cage.

Further down a group of kids had their noses pressed against the window of a place called "Quality Quidditch Supplies. "... the new Nimbus 2000 - fastest ever -" One boy was shouting as they walked past him.

They walked by shops selling robes, others selling telescopes and strange silver devices. Susanna nearly let go of Harry's hand to enter a store selling bat spleens, eels' eyes, and potion bottles. She remembered what her mother had said last night about aunt Lily returning home frog spawn, and seriously considered doing the same to get back at Dudley for how he's treated Harry. It could also keep Dennis away from her - she wanted nothing to do with a boy like _him_.

Hagrid caught her trying to sneak off and gently grabbed her shoulder, chuckling. "Interested in potions, eh?"

"Suppose Dudley found dead spiders and eye of newt in his bed… I wouldn't be endangering the wizarding world, right? Since my family knows about our kind?" Susanna asked, barely concealing her troublemaking smirk. Harry nodded eagerly beside her, fully approving the idea. Hagrid laughed loudly.

"Yer a troublemaker, aren' yeh? Well, I don' think yeh'd be doing anythin' too damaging for our kind. C'mon, we're nearly there." Hagrid kept laughing and steered them to Gringotts.

The bank was so large it towered over the rest of the shops. It was pure white with a giant set of bronze doors. Before it was a little creature wearing a scarlet and gold uniform, it's hair receded and ears pointed.

"Yeah, that's a goblin." Hagrid whispered to the cousins as they approached. The goblin bowed to the three before they entered, a clever grin on his face and mouth full of pointed teeth.

Inside, they faced another two doors. This pair was silver, with words engraved in the shiny metal.

_Enter, strangers, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an rob it." Hagrid reminded them before two more goblins bowed them through the doors and into a vast marble hall. Two long counters faced each other, with hundreds of goblins sitting behind them. They balanced coins on brass scales, wrote into ledgers with long, thin fingers gripping their quills. They held up gems and diamonds, observing them through eyeglasses. Other goblins were showing people in and out of the hall, leading them to and from different halls.

At the very end of the hall, just past three enormous diamond chandeliers, sat an old goblin at a tall desk.

This goblin had white hair slicked back. His skin was wrinkled and he wore glasses nearly as thick as Harry's. "Mornin'." Hagrid said to the elf, and he peered up from his ledger. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's and Ms. Susanna Dursley's safes."

"And do Mr. Harry Potter and Ms. Susanna Dursley have their keys?" The goblin inquired, staring down over the edge of his desk at the two cousins.

"Got it somewhere." Hagrid told the goblin, who settled back. Susanna hid her laugh when Hagrid dumped some moldy dog treats on the goblin's desk, the creature's nose wrinkling in disgust. Harry elbowed her to get her attention - to their right, a goblin was weighing a handful of rubies on his scale.

"Got it!" Hagrid announced, holding up two tiny gold keys. The goblin took them and examined them closely before nodding.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore. It's about the You-Know-What, in vault You-Know-Which." Susanna observed the giant as the goblin carefully read the letter, Hagrid's chest puffed out with great importance.

"Very well." He passed the letter back to Hagrid, who nodded and placed it carefully in his coat pocket, along with the moldy dog treats. "I will have someone take you down to the three vaults. Griphook!" The goblin called, and another walked over briskly, nodding when the other goblin explained where they were going. He bowed to the three of them before leading the way to a door off the hall. Griphook held the door open, but what lay before them wasn't more marble architecture. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. There were little railway tracks sloping down and around, and the goblin whistled. A small cart went speeding their way, and the small group climbed in. It took Hagrid far longer, and the giant was turning a pale shade of green even before the cart began to move _on its own_ \- Griphook wasn't steering.

They twisted and hurdled down a maze of tracks, reminding Susanna of the roller coasters her brother always managed to get onto thanks to his larger size, but ones she hadn't been tall enough to ride. She held in her whoops of excitement and denied herself the privilege of throwing her arms up in delight. She'd never really suffered from motion sickness - her mother often said it was because she moved around too much for nausea to ever catch up. They plunged even deeper, diving down and passing an underground lake, gigantic stalagmites and stalactites growing from the floor and ceiling.

"I never know, what's the difference between a 'stalagmite' and a 'stalactite'?" Harry asked, but before Susanna could respond Hagrid spoke up.

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it, an' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Stalactites grow on the ceiling!" Susanna answered, howling with glee as they dipped again. "Ms. Hudson said last year to remember the 'c' for 'ceiling'."

"Nerd." Harry teased.

"I remembered it all for you!" Susanna shouted back, practically roaring over the louder wind. "So you'd know the right answer when you'd inevitably forget!" She teased, laughing with Harry as he rolled his eyes with the utmost fondness.

It was true. Sure, she'd been an alright student before the Roof Incident. But since becoming close to Harry, she realized how much information he missed in class thanks to his concern over what Dudley's latest form of attack would be. So she studied harder and wrote down even the most inconsequential notes in case Harry needed them. And that wasn't to say Harry made poor grades, he was actually very bright. But he had more to worry about that his cousin, and if learning more for it was the biggest consequence of her actions, Susanna figured it was worth it.

Finally, the cart stopped in front of a small door on the passage wall. Hagrid was the first to get out, leaning against a pillar and breathing in deeply while his natural complexion returned.

"Mr. Harry Potter's vault, number 687." The goblin informed them before unlocking the door, and Susanna covered her mouth when green smoke billowed out. The vault swung open, revealing mounds of gold, piles of silver, heaps of bronze. It was more than either Harry or Susanna imagined for him, and her eyes teared up with sadness when she realized her father would stop at nothing to get at Harry's vault if he ever found out about it. That man feared no dragon when money was involved.

Hagrid passed Harry a small bag, smiling down at him, "The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze coins are Knuts. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms." Hagrid explained, nodding at Susanna to make sure she understood what he said as the giant supervised how much Harry took.

"Ms. Susanna Dursley's vault is next, down this passage." Griphook announced as he locked up the vault, delicately handing the key to Harry. They walked in the opposite direction their cart was faced, past vaults 686, 685, 684 - they stopped at vault 666, and Susanna snorted at the number, but the joke seemed to go over both Hagrid's and the Goblin's heads. Harry got it, though, and he laughed under his breath. _No doubt this is what her father thought of her, that she was the Devil._

As Griphook took out her key and began to unlock the door, she wondered why they hadn't stopped her first before remembering that her cousin was probably famous enough for even the goblins to be aware of, and they probably wanted to prioritize him.

The door swung open, and tears brimmed in her eyes. While not as towering as Harry's riches, her own vault was full of more money than she thought she'd ever get to see. If she focused on her spending, she would have more than enough to get her through schooling, until she found a job - what kind of job could she get in this world, anyway?

"How did… how…?" Was all Susanna could ask as Hagrid passed her a bag and began helping her pack away some money.

"Like I said, Dumbledore arranged it."

"But how, Hagrid? This can't be his. Wait, is this a loan?" She asked.

"No, it's not an' it's not a loan. Yeh'd have to ask him, I suppose. He didn' tell me." Hagrid told her gently, closing up the bag and handing it over. She took it and held it close to her chest.

When her vault was locked and Griphook had handed her the key - she briefly unclasped the necklace her mother had given her and slid the key on it - the goblin whistled for their cart. It returned, and Hagrid sighed.

"Can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only." Griphook responded, and Susanna wondered if he was purposefully sneering or if his face simply gave off that impression.

The cart went even deeper than before, and the air grew as cold as ice. Harry and Susanna both leaned over the side to peer down at another underwater ravine before Hagrid pulled them back by the scruffs of their neck.

"Vault You-Know-Which" was revealed to be vault 713, and an impatient Griphook told the group to "stand back!" He walked to the door - which had no keyhole - stroked down it gently with a long, boney finger and sharp nail. It slowly slides open, the goblin smirking nastily at them.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in their."

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked, the cousins holding onto each other nervously.

"Ten days."

"Well, that's _good to know_." Susanna whispered, throat clenched in fear.

She wondered what was so important as to be locked away in a vault no one but a Gringotts goblin could open - maybe thousands upon thousands of rubies, or mountains of diamonds…

Or a grubby little package wrapped up in newspaper, resting neatly on the dusty ground of the vault. Hagrid leaned forward and picked up, tucking it carefully in his coat pocket. Before Susanna could even ask about it, he cleared his throat.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart - and don' talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut."

Susanna nodded and followed the giant, leaving her questions for later.

* * *

Hagrid sucked in a deep breath of fresh air when they stepped out of Gringotts, the cart long behind them. He still looked a bit green, and Susanna nervously stepped away from him. "Might as well get yer uniform." He pointed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions then sucked in another deep breath. "Harry, Susanna, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."

"Sure." Harry responded, Susanna nodding in understanding. The giant thanked them and ambled off, but before they entered Madam Malkin's her eyes focused on a bookstore next door.

"Harry, look!" She pointed to the window, where they could see books floating through air and tucking themselves into battered shelves.

"You want to go in there, don't you?"

"It beats having to buy clothes." She grumbled back, and he laughed.

"Alright, fine."

"I'll grab both our sets, and look around a bit."

"Thanks. And please, for the love of _God_, be careful and don't get in trouble." He told her. She gasped in offense and he laughed, shoving her away.

"You, too!" Susanna called after him as he walked into Madam Malkin's, and she stepped into Flourish and Blotts as soon as she saw he was being helped.

Now, Susanna wasn't exactly what you'd call a "bookworm." As with school, she didn't stare truly paying attention to them until she needed to make sure Harry was caught up. But her new school list had exited her, and she found herself ducking around a tall man with long white hair to reach the first of her books. Unfortunately for her it was five shelves above her head, and she pouted to herself.

"Need some help?" A shopkeeper asked, sliding over on a ladder.

"Oh, yes. Please."

"First year, eh? I'd spot that look anywhere. Take it your letter was a surprise." He smiled gently at her, plucking out _Magical Drafts and Potions_.

"Yes. Can I have another copy? I'm grabbing my cousin's books as well."

"Certainly, dear. Here you go."

The shopkeeper spent the rest of their time telling her all about the different authors of her school texts. He laughed with her when she pointed to _The Invisible Book of Invisibility_.

"Yes, it really is invisible." He lowered his voice to a hush. "In my opinion, it belongs in Zonko's Joke Shop, but I do enjoy the looks on people's faces when they realize they can't read it."

Susanna grinned at the thought, too, and considered buying it to drive Harry mad - she could pretend to know what she was reading, and as long as he didn't know it was unreadable, he'd be none the wiser. She could do it around her parents and Dudley, too, but valued her life far too much as she knew realistically that goading Vernon Dursley would only end badly for her.

She was nearly tempted to purchase _Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) _by Professor Vindictus Viridian, but fortunately for her family the shopkeeper steered her away from it.

"Alright, that should be everything. Were you still interested in Hogwarts: A History? Maybe The Invisible Book of Invisibility?" The shopkeeper's lips twitched, and Susanna grinned.

"_I'll pass on Invisibility today_… and _Hogwarts: A History_. Do you think it'd take the surprise out of Hogwarts?" Susanna asked, biting her lip.

"Probably. I'd recommend buying it after your first year. It is a good read." He assured her, and she grinned.

"Alright. Next year, then. Thank you for your help!" She smiled up at the older man, who nodded his head.

"Of course. Excuse me, I fear a whole shelf is about to topple over - get down from there! You'll get yourselves squashed!" He shouted as he rounded on some boys attempting to climb the bookshelves. Susanna laughed, and her eyes roved over to the door just in time to see Hagrid waving at her, Harry beside him. He was carrying a large parcel, but a frown marred his previously ecstatic face.

"Here, I've got your books Harry."

"Thanks." He mumbled, and stuck close to her side. He stepped in front of her whenever someone got too close, and Susanna stared at him in confusion. They protected each other of course, but this seemed a little excessive and out-of-nowhere.

They left Flourish and Blotts - Hagrid carrying their packed books - and Susanna stepped towards Madam Malkin's.

"Wait!" Harry stepped in front of her again, peering through the window. He seemed to sigh in relief and then opened the door for her, only letting her through with a nod.

"You're acting strange, Freak." She joked, but he simply ignored her in favor of looking around.

"Ah, you're back so soon." A woman walked towards them, smiling at Harry.

"This is my cousin. She needs some robes, too."

"Of course. Right this way, dearie. I'm Madam Malkin."

"Susanna." She introduced herself, but paid very little attention to the fitting in favor of observing her cousin. He was practically guarding the door, which Susanna thought was ridiculous considering Hagrid was blocking it from the outside.

When Madam Malkin had finished, she passed her the three black robes and the rest of her uniform - crisp white button-downs, black ties, dark grey vests and matching skirts. She paid what was owed and took the package, tucking it under her arm carefully. Her eyes caught on a brown leather messenger bag, which she ended up buying as well.

She walked out of the shop with Harry flanking her, and tucked her bag of money inside, zipping it shut. "Yeh two fancy some ice cream?" Hagrid asked them, and Susanna perked up.

"Really?"

"O' course. You want some too, Harry?" He asked the boy. Her cousin shrugged and nodded, and continued being quiet even as he dug into the ice cream Hagrid bought him - chocolate and raspberry, topped with chopped nuts. Susanna licked her strawberry and peanut butter ice cream, smiling contently. She noticed Harry's frown and sighed, nudging his side with her elbow.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, glancing over her cousin with concern.

"Nothing."

Susanna hummed, fully aware he was lying, but knew better than to push him to respond. Instead she asked Hagrid about Zonko's Joke Shop.

They continued their shopping, choosing to buy some writing supplies first. Harry only seemed to perk up when they found ink that changed colors as you wrote. They bought one each of the bottle besides the normal black ink, and it was packed away with their rolls of parchment and quills. Susanna tucked both of their's into her bag, waving Hagrid off when he offered to carry them instead.

As they stepped into the sun, Harry cleared his throat. "What's Quidditch?"

"Quidditch?" Susanna asked, having remembered the word from the broom shop.

"Blimey yeh two, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"

Harry sighed. "Don't make me feel worse. There was this… this boy. At Madam Malkin's. He talked about playing Quidditch, and brooms… I just nodded along, I didn't understand what he was saying I just kept feeling so _stupid_."

"Oh, Harry." Susanna squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."

He sucked in a deep breath, and eyed her warily as he looked up at Hagrid. "And then he said… he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in, and all I could think was… was people'll say that to Susanna."

"That's why you checked, to make sure he wasn't still there." Susanna breathed out quietly. Just how many people thought that about Muggle-borns? Did she need to feel ashamed? She was already ashamed to have Vernon Dursley for a father, but now this?

"Yeah." Harry nodded, looking down. "I didn't want you to have to hear that."

"Codswallop!" Hagrid said, and the cousins looked up at him. He stared at Susanna, and held her shoulder with one large hand. "Yeh listen ter me, Susanna. That boy don't know a thing abou' what he said. Some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with mafic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at Harry's mum!" He gestured to Harry, parcels swinging in his hand. "Yeh don' have a thing ter worry about, alright? And if anyone has a problem, yeh tell me an' yer Head of House."

Susanna was too concerned about how she'd be treated to ask about this 'Head of House', but cleared her throat to hide her inner turmoil. "So, what is Quidditch?"

Hagrid thankfully took the bait, but Harry squeezed her hand protectively before walking as close to her as he did before, an arm slung across her shoulders. "It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like football in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"What are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" Harry asked him next, Susanna mouthing the two foreign words.

"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff." Harry muttered gloomily.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin." Hagrid's face went dark. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"But surely there are bad people in other, um, _houses_, right?" Susanna asked, nervous. _What if her past actions deemed her bad? What if she was cruel enough to be put in a house meant for people who go dark?_

"I suppose." Hagrid hummed, but it did nothing to ease her worry.

"Vol - sorry, _You-Know-Who_ was at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Years an' years ago." Was all Hagrid said before he walked them towards the cauldron shop. As they moved, Susanna told Harry about _Curses and Countercurses_. The boy beamed as brightly as the sun, and asked Hagrid if they could go back to Flourish and Blotts and purchase it.

Hagrid grinned, but shook his head. "Let me guess, something ter keep yer family in check?" He asked Harry and Susanna.

"No, never." The girl denied, but Harry's admission ruined their shot at innocence.

"I'm sure they'll tell us all about how to curse Dudley."

"Oi! Don't include me! I'd never do something like that."

Hagrid snorted. "I'm sure you wouldn'. Look, I'm not sayin' that it's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances." Hagrid explained. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any o' them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

Susanna sighed grumpily and Harry snorted, having now perked up fully after the incident with the blonde boy.

It was his turn to sigh grumpily when Hagrid told him he couldn't buy the solid gold cauldron, but both cousins were able to purchase some beautiful scales for measuring potions ingredients as well as collapsible brass telescopes. "Fer Astronomy." Hagrid explained, and Susanna groaned - if they were buying telescopes that meant that particular class would be held at night, and she enjoyed sleeping far more than she'd ever enjoy learning about stars. They were balls of burning gas for crying out loud, what more did she need to know about them?

Susanna - despite how horrid it smelled - was most enamored by the Apothecary. She looked around as Hagrid waited for a shop assistant to finish with the customers before them, her eyes focused on a jar of tiny eyeballs.

"_Amazing._" She breathed, before noticing Hagrid was being helped. She eagerly stood next to him, paying attention as the shop assistant gathered the ingredients - she eyed the Belladonna cautiously, wondering just what kind of potion needed it. _Probably not one that'd end well for the drinke_r, she surmised.

When Hagrid had both parcels of ingredients and phials in his hand he led the cousins out the door, Susanna doubling back to tug Harry away from a container of silver unicorn horns.

When all three were gathered outside the Apothecary, Hagrid read down Harry's list. "Yeh two jus' have yer wands left - oh yeah, an' I still haven' got yeh a birthday present, Harry."

Susanna smiled as her cousin blushed as red as her hair, sputtering. "You don't have to -"  
"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl." He decided. "All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." Hagrid explained, leading them to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Susanna looked around as Hagrid helped Harry pick an owl he wanted, but as she looked in their large, blinking eyes all she could think about was that black cat in the pet shop, and it's blue eyes. She remembered how it looked at her before hissing at shop patrons who came too close, almost as if to say, "get me away from these people."

Twenty minutes later they were walking out, Harry holding on tightly to a cage containing a snowy owl, asleep with her head under her wing. As he thanked Hagrid profusely Susanna stopped walking. Down the street was the pet shop they'd past earlier - Magical Menagerie.

"Hagrid, could I get my pet, two?" She asked the giant.

"Certainly. Did yeh want an owl as well? I don' mind gettin' yeh one, two, fer year birthday -"

"No, no, it's fine. I don't want an owl. There was this cat. I'm not sure if it'll still be there, but… can we go see?" Susanna asked, blinking up at the giant with big green eyes. He sighed.

"Sure, I don' see why not. Then we'll get yer wands."

"Thanks, Hagrid!" She cheered, and eagerly began making her way to the pet store, Harry having to run behind her to keep up.

Susanna stopped in front of the cages, her eyes roving around. She supposed she could get a different cat, if this one was gone.

But it wasn't. She heard it hissing before she saw it, and blue eyes met hers. She hurried over, but before she could reach the cat the shopkeeper stopped her. "Oi, careful with that one. He'll scratch at you before you even get close enough to pet him. Why not get a nicer one? We've got this nice -"

"Excuse me." Susanna stepped around the man and ignored his sales pitch in favor of reaching the cat. Only it was smaller than she thought, barely the size of her forearm. A kitten, she guessed.

The kitten was busy hissing at a boy, and he shrank back in fear. "That thing ought to be released if it's too hostile to buy!" The boy's mother explained, whisking her son away.

The kitten hissed again, but stopped when he saw Susanna standing in front of him. He tilted his black head, blue eyes on her as he licked at his lip. Susanna grinned when he sneezed then glared down at his nose, as if betrayed.

"Hi there. I'm Susanna. You're sweeter than you let on, huh?" The kitten mewled and crept forward, butting his head against the cage. "Is it alright if I pet you? I'm sure it's no fun being poked at all day. I'm sorry people can be so awful." She apologized, reaching a finger into the cage. The kitten bowed his head a little, purring as it leaned into her scratching finger. She felt a slight scar and winced, wondering just what the poor creature had gone through. "I used to be awful." She whispered. "I'm trying not to be anymore, but it's harder than it looks." She laughed. "And I'm talking to a kitten." The kitten mewled, and she snorted. "Alright. I suppose I've done weirder things."

"Well I'll be - he's never done that before!" Another shopkeeper said. "He had a rough start, so I get why he wouldn't."

"What happened to him?"

"He was a rescue. Only got him last month. Looked like he'd been roughed up since he was born, poor little guy. Hasn't been the most accepting of affection, to put him lightly. Are you just looking, or are you interested?"

Susanna looked from the kitten to where Harry and Hagrid stood, both of them staring excitedly at Harry's snowy owl. She looked around at all the other customers as they played with their potential pets or walked away with little cages.

She looked back down at the kitten. He'd rolled over onto his back, pushing up towards her hand for a belly rub. "I'll take him. Absolutely."

* * *

The kitten seemed to have perked up since his purchase, though he still hissed at anyone who got too close. To Hagrid's irritation he seemed interested in his overcoat, and tiny claws would occasionally swipe out at it.

"Wait until you meet Dudley. _You're going to swipe at him with your precious little claws, yes you will, yes you will!_" She cooed at the kitten, who mewled back at her before hissing suspiciously at an old woman.

"And that is how my favorite cousin became exactly like Mrs. Figgs!" Harry teased.

Susanna glared. "Never say that again, or I'll set the kitten on you." He laughed and held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright yeh two, jus' Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wands." He grinned down at both cousins, and Susanna smiled when Harry began to bounce on the balls of his feet. If it weren't for the traumatized kitten in her hand, she'd have done the same.

The wand shop was narrow and shabby. Gold letters were peeling over the door.

"Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." Susanna read aloud, taking in the dust-covered windows. "Well, there's no going back after this." She whispered to Harry.

"Why would we ever want to go back?" Harry responded, and Susanna grinned.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

A bell rang faintly off in the distance as they entered Ollivanders. The immense silence reminded her of the public library her mother would take her to so she could study before ballet. Only the shelves here were filled to the brim with duty and new looking wand cases instead of books.

Hagrid sat down on a spindly old chair, their belongings stacked around him. Susanna's kitten hissed at Hagrid when he shifted his coat away.

An old man stood before them. He had wide, pale eyes that seemed even older than himself. He smiled down at the two cousins. "Hello." Harry said, as awkwardly as Susanna nodded.

"Ah, yes. Yes, yes, I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here buying her wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander hummed. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more powerful and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

His pale-moon eyes shifted to Susanna, who watched him with interest. "Susanna Dursley. Yes, I met your mother, when Lily was buying her wand. A jealous looking girl, though she showed great intrigue with the wands I brought her sister to try. You don't look like her, though, do you? No, you look just like Lily." Susanna really did need to see a photo of Harry's mother - everyone kept saying that.

He looked back over at Harry, then leaned in so close they were practically nose-to-nose. The old man's eyes grew misty. "And that's where…" He raised a finger to the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it." His voice was impossibly soft. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"

The old man shook himself out of his trance and backed away. His focus rested on where Hagrid sat. "Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

It was certainly bent in half, Susanna thought to herself, watching Hagrid's reaction. His shoulders slumped, and her heart went out to the giant. "It was, sir, yes." He muttered.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?"

"Er - yes. They did, yes. I've still got the pieces, though." He perked up a bit.

"But you don't _use_ them?" Ollivander asked, tone sharp as broken glass.

"Oh, no, sir." Hagrid gripped onto his umbrella tighter. Susanna eyed the pink object, then Hagrid. _Oh._

"Hmm." Mr. Ollivander seemed to come to the same conclusion that Susanna had. He then looked down at the cousins and smiled. "Now, who would like to go first?"

Harry still seemed to be a little in shock, his green eyes doing very little to conceal his emotions. She saw him inching away from the wands nervously, so she smiled. "Me. I'll go first. Show you how it's done, Harry." She winked at her cousin, who grinned back in relief. She turned back to Ollivander, smiling. It morphed into a look of confusion when his eyes roved over her, humming to himself.

"Which is your wand arm?" He finally asked.

"Um…"

"Which hand do you write with?" Mr. Ollivander gently amended.

"Oh. My left." _A habit her parents tried to get her out of, mind. _

"Very good. Hold out your arm. Thank you." She did as asked, raising her left limb. He stepped out from behind his desk and began measuring her from shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around her head. Except he wasn't doing it, the tape measure was on his own.

As he measured, he spoke to both her and a curious Harry. "Every wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, phoenixes, or dragons are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand. That will do." The tape measure crumpled onto the floor. He went to the shelves and picked out four boxes bringing them back and opening them up in a neat row on his desk.

"Here. Twelve and a quarter inches, hazel, unicorn hair, unyielding. Give it a wave." He gestured to the girl, who took the wand from Mr. Ollivander and awkwardly moved it through the air. A light bulb in the back of the store exploded and Susanna yelped.

"Sorry!" She quickly set it back in the box, and the old man let out a soft laugh.

"It's quite alright. Like I said, the wand chooses us. Try this one - eleven and a half inches, oak, dragon heartstring, reasonably flexible. Here." He passed her the next wand, and when she waved it a small vase of flowers exploded, the glass raining down on the floor. "No, I suppose not."

"Hey, don't worry. Third time's the charm." Harry told her, and she smiled and nodded back.

She watched Ollivander's hand hover over the third wand in the row, before it skipped over to the last one. He delicately lifted it, holding it in the light. "Hmm. Perhaps… ten and three quarters inches, mahogany, dragon heartstring, rigid."

Although hesitant, she reached out and accepted it. The wood of the handle was almost smooth, but something seemed to be etched in it. Susanna held it up in the light, turning the wand in her hand. Two snakes had been engraved in the mahogany, entwined around each other from base to hilt. She looked at Mr. Ollivander then took it and firmly grasped it.

It was like a warmth had grown in her, starting from her stomach and bursting out of her skin. It felt like everything suddenly made complete sense, like the world was finally right.

She gasped and looked up at Mr. Ollivander, who smiled and bowed his head. "Your wand has chosen, Ms. Dursley.

Hagrid clapped and Harry hugged her as Mr. Ollivander carefully packed her wand back in its box and passed it to her. "Congratulations." Harry whispered, and she smiled.

"Thanks. Alright, Freak. Your turn."

"Hey, you're the freak."

"And apparently, you're a famous freak. _Freak._" He snorted and released her, focusing warily on Mr. Ollivander as the old man put away the other wands. "It's fun. Honest. Even when you break something. You're holding a wand, after all!" She encouraged him. He smiled and laughed, though he was still nervous as Mr. Ollivander began taking his measurements, Harry's right arm raised.

Harry's pile of unchosen - _was that even the right word?_ \- wands began to grow, and grow. Unicorn hair and ebony, maple and phoenix, elm and dragon heartstring.

Everytime he turned around, he looked more and more crestfallen. Susanna would smile and mime taking a deep breath, and he'd copy her with a small smile.

"Tricky customer, eh?" Mr. Ollivander chuckled. "Not to worry, we'll fund the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder." He stopped to think, then hummed and disappeared briefly into the back of his shop. Harry shifted his weight, Susanna nearly walking forward to hug him comfortingly before Mr. Ollivander reappeared, a dusty old wand box in his hand. "Unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather. Nice and supple."

He opened the box on the desk, and handed Harry the wand. The boy lifted it, and Susanna watched in amazement as a light seemed to glow around him, lifting bits of his unruly black hair. Is that what happened to her?

Her cousin raised his wind, and red and gold sparks flew up out of the tip, dancing around the little shop like fireworks. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Susanna cheered, throwing her arms up. Harry laughed back, but it started to die down when Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself. "I'm sorry, but what's curious?" He asked, and Susanna stepped forward to listen.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in you wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that _scar__._" He pointed to Harry's forehead, and Susanna took her cousin's hand in comfort. Mr. Ollivander's eyes were faraway again. "Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… after all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. _Terrible_, yes, but great."

Susanna watched the old man warrily as he straightened, snapping out of his thoughts. They paid seven Galleons for their wands and Susanna slipped them into her heavy messenger bag. Mr. Ollivander bowed them out of the shop, and the cousins left with their hands entwined, both terrified of what the old wandmaker had said.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Hagrid led them out of the now-empty Leaky Cauldron, the bustling cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley too far to be heard, but their first real experience in the wizarding world would not easily be forgotten. Their last stop on their way out of Diagon Alley was to purchase two rolling trunks, and they'd stopped briefly in the pub to tuck away their other parcels for easier travel.

Susanna glared at passersby who stared too closely at them. It did nothing to deter them, as they were also carrying a hissing kitten and fluffy snowy owl.

The trip through the Underground was uneventful and quiet, and soon enough the three companions had reached Paddington station. Susanna took care of the tickets home - one for Harry, one for herself.

"There's still time ter get a bite ter eat. Before yer train leaves." Hagrid told them, and they nodded in agreement. He sighed and led them to an open shop. They sat down on plastic seats, the cousins digging in to their hamburgers ravenously - Susanna had no idea if they'd be fed by her parents that night, let alone in the days leading up to start of term.

"Alright. Yer very quiet. What's wrong?" Hagrid asked them, clearing his throat.

Harry nodded, chewing on his lip rather than his food. "It's just, um… everyone thinks I'm special. All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol - _sorry_ \- I mean the night my parents died."

Hagrid leaned across the table, smiling warmly at Harry. "Don' yeh worry, Harry. Yeh'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, yeh'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did. Still do, 'smatter of fact. An' yeh won't be alone. Yeh've got yer cousin with yeh." He smiled at Susanna, who grinned back with her cheeks full of hamburger. Hagrid snorted. "I swear, yeh're nothin' like yer family." Susanna laughed nervously. She used to be. If only he knew who she used to treat Harry James Potter. The Boy Who Lived.

They finished their hamburgers, Susanna thinking deeply about what Hagrid had said to her cousin. He walked them to their train, helping them with their trunks and new pets. Susanna's kitten was sleeping, curled up into a ball the size of Dudley's fist. Hopefully her family was too scared of her to think about touching her kitten. But if they dared… well, she supposed there's an easy enough spell to get them to back off.

Hagrid cleared his throat and handed them another envelope. "Yer tickets fer Hogwarts. First o' September, King's Cross - it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, Harry. She'll know where to find me. I'll see yeh two soon." He waved goodbye to them and stepped off the train, the two cousins standing up from their cushioned seats to stare out the window. Their train began to move, but they wanted to watch Hagrid until they were out of sight.

But when they pressed their noses to the glass, the giant was gone. He'd disappeared in thin air.

They stared at each other as they sat back down, then straight ahead and the seats in front of them. As they rushed out of the station, Susanna looked over at her cousin, waiting for him to notice her. Moments later he did, face morphed into complete confusion.

"You don't have to worry about being great. I think you're already amazing. Even if we were absolutely normal, you'd still be the best person I know." Harry smiled at her, squeezing her hand.

"Thank you. And you know… if someone like that boy I met ever… ever says…"

"I know. You'll be there. Thank you."

"Well, it's like Hagrid said. We won't be alone."

Susanna smiled and settled back in her seat. She wasn't worried about the reunion with the rest of her family. One more month, and they'd be far away from the horror show that was Number 4 Privet Drive. "Happy birthday, Harry." She whispered, and he squeezed her hand once more.


	5. The Journey From Platform 9 and 34

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads! **

**We'll, we've made it this far, there's no turning back now. The cousins are headed to Hogwarts in this chapter, via our favorite scarlet engine. Now, reviewer Fast Frank mentioned Dudley's pig tail being JK's "throwaway bit." And they're _absolutely_ correct. I'd also like to read a fic where it's a plot point, because it'd be interesting. Now, it's kind of/not really a fourth-tier beginning plot line of this chapter, and it'll be mentioned again throughout the story. There's obviously a lot happening here, but we do get to see a side of Dudley further in that we haven't seen before, as at the end of the day siblings tend to still love each other. We also get more complex Petunia and Vernon being a jackass, but there's no saving that man.**

**I had a blast with this chapter, and with really shaping Susanna into who I want her to be in her youth. It's been building up since chapter 1, but I think I've finally managed to show you guys what I pictured her to be like. Her and Ron interacting was a lot of fun, and of course I did not take away from his importance in canon (Ron is my favorite character, and you'll _never_ change my mind). Susanna and Harry also meet Hermione, which goes about as well as you can imagine - don't worry, Susanna doesn't suddenly become cruel.**

**But you know what was most exciting? What I was most eager to write? Guess who meets?! Guess!**

**Mhmm, that's right. The silver ferret finally wriggles his way out of his little burrow of poor-life choices and into the story! Let the pairing-party commence!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

The month leading up to their start of term was quiet and uneventful. Her brother was scared of her and Harry, his little pig tail twitching with fear whenever he'd leave the room. Hagrid's warning had been funny for the first week, but Susanna had spent the rest of her time scouring through her transfiguration book, trying to find a way to remove it. Yes, her brother was awful… but he was also an unfortunate product of their upbringing. Her father was much worse than he was, and if anyone deserved the humiliation more than her twin, it'd be Vernon Dursley. He managed to hide it pretty well around his friends, but they were thick enough they probably wouldn't have noticed if Hagrid also cursed her twin with pig ears and an elephant's trunk.

Her brother wasn't the only one ignoring the two magical kids. Her father wouldn't look at her, he wouldn't shout, he didn't even speak to her. Or Harry, for that matter. He left his nephew entirely alone. Petunia ignored Harry as well, but she spoke to Susanna twice a week. The first time had been when they'd returned from Diagon Alley, pets and trunks in hand. Harry broke for their room immediately, but a slender hand had stopped Susanna from following her cousin up the stairs.

_"You got into your vault without much trouble?"_

_Susanna's eyes went wide. "How did -"_

_"Good." She let go of her daughter and glared down at the kitten as if daring the little creature to attack her walls and pee on the carpet. The kitten hissed back, but Petunia held her chin up and flitted away to tend to her son. Her daughter stood at the foot of the stairs for almost ten minutes, mouth ajar and questions eating away at her mind._

So yes, other than the occasional word from her mother, the cousins were given more freedom than they ever hoped. Harry had admitted to her that if it weren't for Susanna, their month of silent treatment would've been depressing - he would've only had Hedwig for company.

Hedwig was what he named his snowy owl, after finding her namesake in _A History of Magic_. Susanna had thought long and hard about what to name her kitten. Susanna new only one name would really fit him. Hades, Greek god of the underworld. Hades took to the name like… well, like he chose it himself, really. He'd purr whenever she said it, hissing at corners before strutting over to her and pouncing happily on whatever part of her body he could reach. He was also easy to train, only having a few accidents that were easy to clean up before he figured it out.

"You're reading it again?" Harry groaned when he entered their room, having gone for a quick walk in the park. Susanna would've joined him, but as they only had a couple of days till the start of term she wanted to read through her books one last time.

"Yes." Susanna huffed and set down _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ next to _Magical Drafts and Potions_.

"We haven't even seen Professor Quirrell teach yet, I'm sure he'll be great. He must know his stuff."

"Oh, like you haven't been doing the same!" Susanna flipped over and began rereading again, Hades jumping onto the small of her back and curling into a ball.

"You're _nervous__._"

"Shut it, Harry."

"No, I don't think I've seen you like this ever. You're nervous. You!"

"Knock it off." Without looking she threw _Magical Drafts and Potions_ in the direction of his voice, Harry laughing and ducking out of the way as the book slammed against the wall and clattered to the floor. No one was rushing up the stairs to yell at them. If anything, the television got louder. "And I'll have you know I do get nervous. Especially -"

"When it comes to me. I know." Her bed shifted as Harry sat down by her knees. "Thank you. And I get nervous when it comes to you, too."

"I know."

"I love you, Freak."

"Love you too, Freak." She sighed and closed her book to sit up, Hades jumping off her back and landing on the bed with an offending mewl. Susanna gestured to her lap in apology and the kitten jumped on her, licking at her wrist as she scratched his head.

"I don't know what I'll do if… if we're put into different houses." Harry admitted, and she stared down at Hades.

"You'll make friends, Harry. _Loads._ Especially without Dudley around to make it harder. Plus… you're famous, right? Bet I'm going to have to take a number just to talk to you." Susanna sniffed and rubbed under her left eye.

"Yeah, well, you're not replaceable you know. Sure I'll have friends, but what if they only like me because of my name? You like me for me, _don't_ deny it." Susanna snorted happily, and he bumped their shoulders together. "And the truth is… in only two years, you've become the only family I really have."

"I'm sorry it took me so long."

"I know you are. And that's why I don't think I'd be able to handle not being in the same house with you. We look after each other. We can't do that if we're split up."

"You won't be in Slytherin, you know."

"I didn't think I would - oh, but you do. Because of what Hagrid said." Susanna didn't answer. "You were mean, and cruel, and completely self-involved. You hated me because that's what your parents taught you to do." She hummed. "But that wasn't who you are. I'm sure I'll spend years reminding you of this, but… but you're one of the most understanding people I know, because of all that. Because you learned to be better, to be different than your parents and brother. You're not a bad person, not really. You saved my life, you've taken the blame for so many things to spare me your parents' wrath. So stop punishing yourself. You've made up for it, Suze. Promise."

Susanna sniffed again, and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Harry."

"My pleasure, Suze." He joined her in petting Hades, who'd gotten used to the boy well enough to only hiss once. Susanna laughed, a small weight lifted off her chest.

Still, her family would be unable to ignore them for much longer. The next day - August 31st - Harry and Susanna crept downstairs in the late morning to find her brother and parents sitting in front of the TV, watching a game show.

"Mum, dad." Susanna cleared her throat. Dudley jumped and shrieked, dashing out the door and rushing up the stairs. She and Harry flinched at the sound of a door slamming, and she was surprised her brother hadn't brought the house town.

"Er, uncle Vernon?" Harry asked. The man only grunted, and so Harry shrugged at his cousin. She rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Dad. We need to get to King's Cross Station tomorrow. To, uh, to get to Hogwarts." Her mother twitched and her dad grunted again. "I was wondering if you could give us a lift? We'd take the train, only I don't want anyone we know seeing us and bothering you two about it. Mr. Addler down the road's a big gossip." Susanna cleverly lied. It worked, her father won over simply by the fact she was thinking about his reputation. He grunted and nodded.

"Thank you." Harry said, and he and Susanna began to walk out the room, hoping to spend a little time in the park before they had to pack.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" Susanna made a face, not entirely sure what to say. "Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know."

"Far from here." Harry and Susanna answered, the former sighing at his cousin's quip.

"It only says we take the train from platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock." Harry continued, shooting his cousin a warning look.

"Platform what?" Her father asked, and though Petunia put on an air of confusion, Susanna saw the recognition in her eyes. It was the same look Susanna had when she remembered a particular lesson from school. "Don't talk rubbish. There is no platform nine and three-quarters." Her father finished. Susanna dared her mother to speak her mind, but the woman held her tongue.

"It's on our ticket." Harry shrugged, Susanna nodding in support.

"Barking. Howling mad, the lot of them." Her father griped, arms crossed. "You'll see. You just wait. Alright, we'll take you to King's Cross tomorrow. You're just lucky we're going up to London, anyway."

"Why?" Susanna asked.

Her father snorted, then growled. "Taking Dudley to the hospital. Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

_Fair enough__,_ Susanna thought, then she and Harry walked away before her father could suddenly change his mind.

* * *

"Harry, you daft Freak, you forgot to pack your winter cloak!" Susanna hissed, standing over Harry's trunk with a frustrated look. Her cousin had woken her up with his pacing at _five o'clock in the morning_, and she hadn't been able to fall back asleep.

"Oi, there's no need for name-calling."

"It is too early to be nice. Now hand me your cloak!" She held out her hands and Harry snorted, handing it over. "Thanks. Alright, you should be set. Go over the list again, though, yeah?"

"_Alright_, Suze." Harry yelped as she kicked at one of his knobbly knees and went back to her own trunk. Hades was curled on top of her pillows, and Susanna was envious of his closed eyes and gentle breathing.

Once satisfied that everything she needed had been packed, Susanna closed the lid and locked it shut. She went to the bathroom and closed the door, changing into an olive-green tee shirt and a pair of acid washed jean overalls. She wore them more than her mother wished she would, which was proven from how worn and torn they were, especially around the knees from all the times she'd fall in her haste to beat Harry to the trees in the park.

She slipped on a pair of white ankle socks as well as her black mary janes, not wanting to carry another pair of shoes in her messenger bag. Teeth brushed and hair pulled up into high pigtails she quietly skipped back into the room - after knocking on the closed bathroom door and asking if Harry was decent.

"Here, you don't know if the train'll be warm enough." Harry tossed her a zip-up jumper from the back of their closet. She thanked him and pulled it on, leaving the dark blue material unzipped.

"Here, put your robes in my bag. You have your wand, right? And the tickets?" Susanna opened her bag, revealing its relative fullness; she'd also packed Magical Drafts and Potions, the whole subject of potion-making seeming particularly daunting.

"Wand. Clothes." Harry pointed to his bed, his school uniform neatly folded. She rolled his robes inside the plain black robe and shoved it on top of hers. His wand joined hers in the inner zipper pocket, and she closed up her messenger bag, securing it as tight as possible. "Tickets." He held up the envelope and showed her the two little stubs. Susanna flashed a smile his way.

Once Hedwig was secured in her cage and Hades had been roused out of his little nap, the cousin left their room. Susanna glanced back one last time, confident she had everything until she remembered something she'd hidden in the bottom of the drawer.

"Harry, I'll be down in a mo." Susanna quietly announced, though she heard her parents talking down stairs. Still, there was no need to change what had become the status quo, a quiet 4 Privet Drive.

Harry nodded and made his way down the stairs with his trunk and caged owl, and Susanna walked back into their room. Heading straight for her bedside drawer she opened it, tugging out a small cigar box she'd found deep in the park.

She opened it and pulled out it's sole content, a family portrait taken the day she and Dudely were born. Her brother was cradled in Petunia's arms, the blonde woman tired but smiling brightly even in the dull hospital gown. A slightly smaller Vernon sat next to her, holding his newborn daughter with a gentleness anyone who knew the man would _never_ suspect. His eyes were on her, pride shining in them.

That picture was proudly displayed on Vernon Dursley's Grunning's desk, until she was nine. She'd found it in the trash the day after the Roof Incident, and couldn't let it go.

With the photo carefully slipped inside her messenger bag, Susanna left their room and closed their door.

Once downstairs she set her trunk, bag, and Hades' carrier by Hedwig, her kitten strutting next to her. She smelt bacon and eggs frying, happily skipping into the kitchen. She found Harry at the stove, her family already eating. They ignored her presence and talked amongst themselves, so Susanna shrugged and poured Harry a glass of orange juice. Hades purred and she picked him up, one of his little paws reaching up to bat at a swinging pigtail.

Speaking of pigtails, she noticed her brother's quivering as he got up room his seat and scurried over to the television to be far away from his sister and cousin. She was glad he was getting it removed, telling herself it was because she ran out of jokes about it.

Once they'd eaten their breakfast, drank their juice, and used the loo one last time her parents rushed them out of the house. Vernon led them to his car and opened the boot. The cousins stuffed their large trunks inside and Vernon slammed it shut. He jumped back when Hades hissed at him from inside the carrier.

"Get in." He angrily muttered, urging Susanna and Harry to the backseat. Petunia was convincing Dudley to get in as well, and her reluctant twin finally settled on Susanna's right side, gulping when Hades stared unblinking at him.

It was a crowded-almost-two-hours ride to King's Cross Station, Susanna having refused to put her messenger bag put in the boot with her trunk - she didn't want to be parted from her wand, nor did she expect Harry wanted to be, despite them not knowing any useful spells. Thankfully neither Hades nor Hedwig made a sound, Susanna distracting her kitten with as many scratches as he desired.

Once they reached the station, Harry and Vernon got out first. Susanna unclipped her seatbelt, then turned to her brother. It hadn't hit her until then that they wouldn't be together, and no matter how dreadful he was, they'd never been apart for longer than a day.

"I hope you do well at Smeltings, D. If anyone gives you any trouble, hit them with your stick." She started to get out, but a pudgy hand grabbed her wrist. She turned around and waited, her twin opening and closing his mouth. Finally, he seemed to settle on what he wanted to say.

"And you… I hope you have a good term. Loser." He mumbled. She smiled despite the name-calling.

"Thank you, D." He released her and she got out, her father standing next to two trolleys. She set Hades down on top of hers, Hedwig cooing softly as Harry began to push his trolley.

"Keep up." Was all Vernon said to her as he began pushing her trolley. Susanna hummed and followed after him, but all three stopped when a familiar voice called after them.

"Wait, Susan." Petunia was standing outside the car, gesturing for her daughter to come back. Although hesitant, Susanna complied with the request, hurrying over - they only had half an hour left to get settled on the train to Hogwarts, after all.

"Yes, mum?" She asked when she reached the tall woman. Before she could say anymore, long arms were pulling her into a hug. Confused, she stood frozen and her mother held her before returning the gesture.

"You show them what you're made of, my darling."

"I will, mum." She promised, and the woman let her go.

"Good. Your father's waiting, best not keep him." Petunia quickly got back in the car and Susanna turned around, a wide smile on her face as she rushed to join her father and cousin.

Though she'd never been to King's Cross, she imagined the crowds they had to push through were relatively normal. One woman apologized profusely when she almost ran her over before continuing to run towards platforms seven and eight.

Her father suddenly stopped in front of her, grip relaxed on her trolley. He turned and grinned down at his daughter and nephew. It was anything but pleasant, and as nasty as old rubbish in the bin. "Well, there you are. Platform nine, platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" Susanna's eyes widened as she realized he was right. Two large plastic numbers hung over platforms nine and ten, but there was no sign for platform nine and three-quarters. "Have a good term." Her father smugly addressed them, then turned and left the confused cousins alone in the station, whistling as he went.

Susanna bristled with anger, calling him a few choice words in her head before her cousin nudged her side. "Hey, come one. We've only got twenty minutes left."

"Let's go, then. Get away from here." Susanna mumbled, and began to push her heavy trolley beside Harry.

They received a lot of puzzled looks as they made their way down the platform. Most were directed towards Hedwig, though Hades' hissing didn't help much in leaving Susanna ignored.

"Excuse me? Where could we find the train for Hogwarts School?" Harry asked a passing guard. Susanna was just grateful he didn't mention they were looking for a platform that clearly didn't exist. Had Hagrid given them the wrong information?

The guard scoffed. "Hogwarts School? Think you're being funny, do you?" He snorted and walked away and Susanna sucked in a deep breath. It was ten-to-eleven, and they were running out of time.

Noticing Harry beginning to panic, Susanna squeezed his hand. "Hey, shh. We'll find it. Or maybe we can send Hedwig to Hagrid, tell him what happened? He can come get us, or ask somebody at the school to do it."

Harry sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Before he could thank her, a group of redheads passed by - one of whom had an _owl_. The woman leading them was speaking loudly over the station's crowd "... packed with Muggles, of course -" Susanna and Harry mouthed the word together, then rushed after her.

They stopped when she did, near a brick wall between platforms nine and ten. They were close enough to hear the conversation. "Here we are," the plump woman said, but before she could continue the little redhead girl holding her hand interrupted.

"Platform nine and three-quarters! Oh, mum, can't I go to Hogwarts, too?" She pleaded, and the woman chuckled.

"You're not old enough Ginny. Next year. Now be quiet, don't want the Muggles overhearing. Percy, you go first, love."

The oldest-looking boy nodded. Tall and skinny, he marched to the wall. Susanna watched him carefully, but when a group of tourists unexpectedly crossed between them she missed it. The boy was gone, vanishing into thin air. She blinked and looked to Harry, but he only shook his head.

"Fred, you next!" The woman said, and the boy huffed.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George! Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you _tell_ I'm George?!" The boy asked, and Susanna found herself laughing.

The woman shook her head apologetically. "Sorry, George, dear."

The boy nodded and pushed his trolley. He stopped in front of her long enough to announce, "I'm only joking, I am Fred!" Then he hurried to the barrier - and ran straight through?

His twin - George - followed closely after him, and Susanna felt a pang in her chest at the thought of not being with her own twin.

"Excuse me?" Susanna called, just before the fourth boy made his run. The woman, the boy, and the girl all turned to look at the approaching cousins.

"Oh, hello dears. First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." The plump woman smiled warmly at them, looking every bit a mother. Susanna felt herself touching her necklace, and she nodded at the woman.

"Er, yes. It is."

Harry cleared his throat. "The thing is… the thing is, we don't know how to -"

"How to get onto the platform?" The woman asked them, and she looked over their heads to see if anyone was with them. A frown formed on her kind face, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."

Harry nodded, but looked to Susanna. "Hey, it's alright. I'll be right behind you." She gently whispered to her cousin. He sucked in a deep breath and walked towards the wall, jostling a few people on his way. He began to rush, and a second later he was gone.

"Thank you." Susanna smiled at the woman, then she moved to the barrier. Butterflies flew in her stomach, but she remembered what the woman had told her. Don't be scared you'll crash into it… don't be scared you'll crash into it… don't be scared -

Even with her eyes open, she couldn't see what had happened until a great fog crossed in front of her. A hand shot out and turned her, and Harry was grinning widely at his cousin, relief shining in their matching eyes.

"We did it! Look, it's beautiful!" Harry whispered, and pointed in front of them.

Susanna's eyes widened in awe at the scarlet steam engine before them. The platform beside it was packed to the brim with families, and a sign overhead read "_Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock_".

Turning back briefly, she glanced at where the barrier had been. It was replaced with an iron archway, the words "_Platform Nine and Three-Quarters_" on it.

"Wow." Susanna gasped.

"Come on!" Harry urged, and together they began to weave through the crowd. Hades hissed as they walked, but the crowd was far too busy to notice or comment. Susanna cooed at him and he calmed down, though she knew she'd be keeping him with her on the train.

They passed a stern looking woman scolding a round-faced boy (he seemed to have lost his toad) and a boy with dreadlocks showing off a tarantula. Susanna nearly stopped to pet it before Harry shouted her name.

"Sorry, sorry." She apologized, hurrying after him.

Students seemed to be arguing over compartments or hanging out the windows of them to talk to their families, and almost all were crowded. Harry managed to find an empty one near the back of the train.

"Suze, you go first, I'll help you get the trunk up."

"Thanks, Harry. Here, pass me Hedwig and Hades first, I'll tuck them inside."

After the pets were taken care of, Susanna climbed up the stairs and held out her hands to take the front of her trunk. Both cousins underestimated how hard it'd be to get them up the steps, because Susanna nearly fell on her butt twice and Harry practically broke his big toe in their efforts.

"Want a hand?" Susanna yelped and looked up to see the two redheaded twins from before. She nearly dropped the trunk in her fright but the twin who'd spoken dove forward and caught it. "Here, it's okay. George, come on."

Thanks to Fred and George, the two trunks were loaded into the side of the compartment without any more trouble. Susanna panted and Harry brushed his sweaty bangs off his forehead. "Thanks."

"What's that?" One of the twins pointed to his forehead, and Susanna sighed. _And so it begins._

"Blimey, are you -?" The other asked.

"He _is._ Aren't you?" The first responded.

"What?"

Susanna hummed in thought, not wanting Harry to feel as uncomfortable as he did that day in the Leaky Cauldron. She snapped her fingers in mock recognition. "You know, now that they mention it you do look a lot like a young Tom Cruise. Thanks, you two. It's been bothering me our whole lives. Nope, he, uh, just has that sort of face, you know? Could be anyone. Thanks for the help!" Susanna started to push Harry to the compartment.

"You're Harry Potter, right?" One of the twins asked, but this time he was quieter.

"Oh, him. I mean, yes, I am."

The twins gawked at Harry and Susanna held his hand, watching her cousin start to flush with embarrassment. He was saved when the woman who helped them shouted, "Fred, George, are you there?"

The twins jumped down and Susanna dragged him into the compartment. "Are you okay? I did try."

"I'm fine. Thanks. I should… I should start getting used to it though, right?"

Susanna hummed, deep in thought. "You're right. I'm just worried."

"About having to schedule an appointment to hang out with me?"

"No, you idiot, for you. People were so intense at the pub, and those were adults. I don't want… this is already overwhelming enough, right?" She offered.

"... Ron, you've got something on your nose -" The cousins heard the woman say, and half-hidden by the window between them they watched the little family of redheads.

The youngest boy was jerking out of the way, groaning when his mother caught him and began rubbing at his large nose. "_Mom_ \- geroff!" He managed to get free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" One of the twins asked, and Susanna snorted.

"Shut up!" Ron shouted back, face as red as his hair.

"Where's Percy?" The mother asked.

"He's coming now." The little girl - Ginny - announced, and sure enough the tallest boy came striding into view, wearing his uniform. A shiny silver P was pinned to his black robe, right under a scarlet and gold badge.

"Can't stay long, mother." He informed them. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"

"Oh, are you a _prefect_, Percy?" A twin asked. He was feigning surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on!" The other twin snapped. "I think I remember him saying something about it! Once-"

"Or twice -"

"A minute -"

"All summer -"

"Oh, Shut up!" Cried Percy, interrupting the twins. Susanna had to cover her mouth to keep her laughter down.

"How come Percy got new robes, anyway?" One of the twins asked.

"Because he's a prefect." The mother said with a proud smile. She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. With a frown, she glared back up at the twins. "Now, you two. This year, you behave yourselves! If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've _blown up_ a toilet -"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet." One argued, but both twins were grinning.

"Great idea, though, thanks mum."

"It's _not funny_. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, Ickle Ronniekins is safe with us!" One of the twins promised.

"Hey mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" The other twin asked. Susanna waved for Harry to scoot back so they wouldn't see him. "You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? With the redhead? Know who he is?"

"Who?" The woman asked, obviously humoring her sons.

"_Harry Potter!_"

Ginny began hopping up and down. "Oh, mum, can I go on the train and see him? Mum, oh please?" She pleaded, and Susanna glared down at her unseen. Her cousin wasn't a zoo animal.

Fortunately, the woman seemed to be thinking the same. "You've already seen him, Ginny! The poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo! Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning!" Fred exclaimed.

"Poor dear. No wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."

"He wasn't alone, though, remember? The red-haired girl was with him. Insisted he was some bloke named 'Tom Cruise' or something when we asked."

"Oh, yes. She was quite lovely. She seemed quite protective of him. I wonder if they're old friends?"

"_Nevermind _all that, mum!" Fred declared. Susanna wrinkled her nose and pouted. "Do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" Fred asked.

Susanna watched the woman's kind face darken. "I forbid you from asking him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school!"

"Alright, keep your hair on." Fred waved off his mother, and the train whistled out a warning.

"Hurry up! Come on!" She urged the three boys to the train, and Susanna watched them clamber aboard, out of view. She could still hear them from the open window, though.

Ginny began to cry, and one of the twins shushed her, though it was gentle. "Don't, Ginny. We'll send you loads of owls!"

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!"

"George!" The mother shrieked.

"Only joking, mum."

The train began to move, and Harry leaned forward with Susanna to watch the mother wave. Ginny was laughing and crying, and escaped her mother to run after the train, only stopping when they'd gathered too much speed. Susanna wondered what it would've been like if her parents were like that, if they cared as much as the woman. She wondered if there was a world where Dudley was running after the train, waving and crying for his twin.  
_Or what if there was a world where Harry's parents were alive, and they'd gotten wind of how her parents had been treating her. Would they have demanded custody of their niece? Would they be standing there, hugging their son and wishing him a good first term, then doing the same for Susanna? Would James Potter have told her he'd curse any boy who bothered her? Would Lily Potter smile and insist the cousins look after each other? Would they promise to send letters and insist they return for every holiday?_

_Harry wouldn't be the Boy Who Lived. He'd just be the same Harry Potter to the world that Susanna's always known, and his childhood would've been happy. He would've been loved, and cared for -_

"Hey, are you alright?" Harry asked, and she realized they were rushing past rows of houses.

"Sorry. Yes. Just… thinking." Hades mewled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've got you!" She freed her kitten and set him on her lap just as the door opened.

Ron stood outside, warily looking at Hades. Susanna's kitten hissed once then relaxed, only glaring at him. "Do you mind if I sit with you? Everywhere else is full." The boy said, black smudge still on his nose.

"No." Harry gestured to the seat next to Susanna. After shoving his trunk into the corner of the compartment, Ron nervously stared at Hades as he sat next to the other redhead. The kitten only tilted his head before turning and Susanna's lap.

"Don't worry. You passed the test." She assured Ron. She noticed he was blatantly not staring at Harry, and smiled at how much he seemed to take his mother's words to heart.

"Hey, Ron." The twins stepped into view. "Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee's got a giant tarantula down there." One of the twins said.

"Right." Ron mumbled.

"Harry." The other twin spoke up. "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. Sorry, who are you?"

"Oh. I'm Susanna Dursley. Harry's cousin."

The twin that'd made the introductions gestured to himself as George, so she assumed he really was George. "Nice to meet you. Alright, we're off."

"Bye!" Harry called after them, Ron muttering his own parting.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" The redhead boy blurted out suddenly, then covered his mouth in shock. Susanna laughed while her cousin nodded. "Oh, well, I thought it might have been one of Fred and George's jokes. And you really have that… that, you know." He gestured to his own forehead, and Harry pulled his bangs to the side to show off the scar. "Wicked. So that's where You-Know-Who…" Ron trailed off, blushing.

"Yes, but I - I don't remember."

"Nothing?" Susanna shot Ron a glare, but the boy didn't notice.

Harry paused. "Well, I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

Ron looked to the Dursley girl for confirmation, and she gave him a reluctant, unimpressed nod. Harry often told her about nightmares involving green flashes of light. After what Hagrid told them about the night Harry… well, the cousins sadly agreed that is what Harry'd been dreaming all those years.

Ron started at Harry for a few moments, then looked away. Unfortunately his gaze landed on the still-unimpressed red headed girl, who was practically baring her teeth at him.

Seeming to realize what she'd been doing, Susanna relaxed, and smiled less dangerously at Ron. "So, are all your family wizards and witches?"

He blinked at the softness in her tone, the girl staring at him with interest. "Er - yes, I think so." He hummed, then shrugged. "I think mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already." Harry guessed, leaning forward.

Ron didn't answer, but leaned forward as well. "I heard you went to live with Muggles. What are they like?"

"Horrible." Susanna answered, arms crossed as she glanced out the window.

"Not all of them." Harry rushed to assure the red-haired boy across from him. "Just my aunt, uncle, and cousin."

"Cousin… this cousin?" Susanna turned to look at the now worried boy, his blue eyes filling with anger.

"No! No, not Suze. She's the best." Harry jumped in. "I meant -"

"My twin. Brother. He's… _they're_... it's complicated. For me. They're awful to Harry, though."

"And you, too."

"Not as bad." Susanna argued with her cousin.

Harry gave her a warning look, then smiled at Ron. "Three wizard brothers? That sounds like fun."

"Five." Ron corrected Harry, staring at the cousins gloomily. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." Susanna was glad Hades was sleeping, or who knows what sort of hell would've broken loose if he'd seen the snoring rat on Ron's lap. "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for making prefect, but they couldn't aff-" He cut himself off, flushed with embarrassment. "I mean I got Scabbers instead."

Susanna - who'd been nodding along as she listened to Ron - looked to Harry, and the baggy clothes he was wearing, all of which used to belong to Dudley. "It's okay, Ron. We're the last people to judge."

"Me especially." Harry agreed, and Susanna watched the redheaded boy look at Harry in confusion. "I didn't even know I had money until a month ago. All of my Muggle clothes, I guess, are all hand-me-downs from my cousin."

"Not me, that's not my size. Or my color." Susanna joked, and Ron laughed.

"I never even had a birthday cake baked for me until Hagrid came to deliver our leaders. Never even knew about being a wizard, or about my parents, or Voldemort -" At Ron's loud gasp, Harry blinked over at the boy in confusion. "What?"

"_You said You-Know-Who's name!_"

"I'm not trying to be _brave_ or anything, saying the name. I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn! I bet...I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"Join the club." Susanna scoffed at her cousin.

Ron shook his head. "You won't be." He assured them. "There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." He turned to look at Susanna. "You're a Muggle-born, then?"

"Is there a problem if she is?" Harry suddenly glared, clearly remembering the boy from Madam Malkin's.

Ron jumped at the hostility, then grinned in assurance. "No, absolutely not. I was just curious." He looked at the redhead next to him. "Did you ever have a feeling you were different? Before you got your letter."

Susanna hummed. "Well, I suppose I was always different. I just…" She stared at Harry guilty, but he only smiled gently back. "I didn't know. Not until my dad caught me changing the TV channels without using the remote. I denied it was me, I thought it wasn't me. I denied a lot of the stuff I did until then. Even after my dad caught me, I still told myself I wasn't different. Then a year later, I was catching Harry midair and there was no denying it." Susanna laughed. "I should've known, though. Before. When I was seven my brother broke my birthday present, and moments later his game had transformed into an army of spiders."

Ron - who'd been watching her in fascination - gulped. "I don't like spiders."

"Let me guess. Fred and George?" Ron just nodded and shuddered, and the compartment fell into a comfortable silence. Susanna scratched a sleeping Hades and watched the Hogwarts Express speed past fields and lanes.

* * *

At half-past twelve a smiling old woman stopped in front of their open door, pushing a trolley of sweets. "Anything off the cart, dears?" She asked, dimples on full display.

Breakfast had been hours ago, and so the cousins nodded to each other excitedly. Were they traveling with her parents, her mother and father would've bought the entire trolley's contents for precious Dudley. But the cousins were alone, and they had money - they didn't have to depend on her parents. Not that could depend on them anyway, especially not Harry.

Susanna pulled her little pouch of money out from her bag, and tossed Harry his as well. Her cousin caught it easily. Ron muttered about having brought sandwiches while the cousins stood and approached the trolley, Hades curled up on Susanna's seat while the redhead boy beside the kitten kept Scabbers out of his sight.

"Hope she has a Mars bar." Harry muttered to his cousin, who nodded in agreement.

But the woman didn't have any. In fact, Susanna couldn't recognize anything she was offering. There were boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, packets of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, Jelly Slugs, and other strange sweets. There were bottles as well, with plastic lids shaped like pumpkins.

"Er, what's this?" Susanna asked, pointing to a bottle.

"Pumpkin juice, dear. It tastes like pumpkin pie." The woman answered with a kind smile.

"Oh. Can I have two please?" Harry gave her a thumbs up, still looking over what he wanted. "Oh, wait, Ron - do you want a pumpkin juice as well?"

Ron's ears turned red. "Oh, you don't have to -"

"Three, please."

"We'll take the lot, as well." Harry added.

The woman continued to smile. "Certainly, dears." She loaded a tray with their mix of sweets, and Harry and Susanna each paid her nine Sickles and eight Knuts. Harry carried in the tray while Susanna held their coin purses, and Harry set the tray down on the empty seats beside him.

"Hungry, are you?" Ron asked, his eyes on the candy as he unwrapped his plastic-covered sandwiches.

"Starving. Here, Suze." Harry passed his cousin a pasty and her juice when Susanna returned to her seat, Hades awake and pawing at her lap while she chewed.

"_Gib Won hev choo._" She told Harry, mouth full of the delicious treat.

"Gross… oh, right, here you are, Ron." Her cousin handed the red-haired boy his own bottle.

"Susanna, you really didn't -"

"_Ib fine._" She swallowed and waved him off before taking a sip. "Oh my God this really does taste like pumpkin pie!" Hades mewled. "No, you don't get any, love. Here, have this." She pulled out a little baggie of cat treats she'd gotten from Magical Menagerie, and Hades happily munched on a couple, completely ignoring Scabbers existence.

"She always forgets I don't like corned beef." Susanna turned to look at Ron as he unhappily pulled apart his sandwich.

"Well, luckily for you I _love_ corned beef. I'll trade you for whatever you'd like."  
"Do you like these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pasty.

"Susanna, you really don't want this. It's dry. She doesn't have much time -"

"Mate." Harry interrupted Ron, the boy's ears now red. "Just give Susanna the sandwiches. She'll eat anything, if given the chance."

"If you're sure. I really don't -"

"Hand me the bloody sandwiches, take some pasties and cakes." Susanna held out her hands, and Ron sighed. He passed her his lunch and thanked the cousins as Harry held up the tray.

The sandwiches were a little dry, but only the bread. The meat was tender and juicy, so Susanna found herself pulling out the filling and happily chewing on it. Her mother only ever gave her sandwiches occasionally, and never ones filled with red meat.

"What are these?" Harry asked, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs while Susanna tore into some jelly slugs Ron had passed over. "They're not _really_ frogs, are they?"

"No. But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Who?" Harry and Susanna asked.

"Oh, of course. Sorry, I keep forgetting you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect. Famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Susanna whistled. "That's a lot of Chocolate Frogs."

Harry unwrapped the package in his hand, picking up the card. Susanna watched him observe the card, then gasp. "So this is Dumbledore! Suze, look!" He showed her the famous wizard with a grin.

Dumbledore had half-moon glasses, a long crooked nose, flowing silver hair with a long beard and full mustache. She imagined he looked a lot like Merlin - who was, as mentioned in _A History of Magic_, a real wizard.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Dumbledore."

"Only briefly. By Hagrid." Susanna answered.

Ron hummed. "Well, there's information about him on the back. Do you mind if I have one? Might get Agrippa."

"Here." Harry passed him a Chocolate Frog as he read the back of the card. He handed it over to Susanna when he was done, and her eyes flicked over each line.

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**  
CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS_

_Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, _

_Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindewald in 1945, _

_for the discovery of the twelves uses of dragon's blood, _

_and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel. _

_Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling._

"Sounds like a cool bloke." Susanna said, and she gave Harry the card back in exchange for her own Chocolate Frog package. Her cousin gasped, and she looked up.

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day, can you? He'll be back." Ron pouted. "No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her. Do either of you want it? You can start collecting?" He asked the cousins, his eyes stuck on the pile of Chocolate Frogs.

"Help yourself." Harry told him. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."

Ron gaped at them. "Do they? What, they don't move at all? _Weird!_"

Susanna snorted and opened her package, eyes trained on a wizard with dark skin, black curly hair, and deep brown eyes. Dressed in green robes, the man smiled at her pleasantly. She turned over the card as Harry had.

_**MUNGO BONHAM**  
WIZARD HEALER  
A famous wizard healer, Mungo Bonham was best known for his founding of _

_St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries._

Susanna bit into a chocolate frog as she read, and was pleasantly surprised by the taste, it's slight hopping settling down as she chewed and swallowed.

By the time the three first years had made their way through the rest of their packages, Hades was pushing around cards of Newt Scamander, Godric Gryffindor, Musidora Barkworth, Roderick Plumpton, and Tilly Toke.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans?" Harry asked, holding up the box.

Ron nodded. "You want to be careful with those." He told the cousins. "When they say 'Every Flavour' they mean _every flavor._ You get ordinary ones like chocolate, peppermint, and marmalade. But then you can also get spinach, liver, and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."

"Gross." Susanna muttered, eyeing the box with suspicious interest.

Ron shrugged and reached over to pluck out a green bean. He bit into it and grimaced. "_Blergh. _See? Sprouts."

Susanna grinned. "Maybe that's their way of reminding you to eat your greens? Have a balanced meal?"

Ron grunted, but laughed. "Still gross. Who wants to eat sprouts?"

Susanna wrinkled her nose in agreement, remembering all the times her mother would mix them into her salad. "Point."

"Thank you. Whoa - what are you doing?" Ron asked as Susanna grabbed a whole handful of beans.

"It's called being adventurous, Ron."

"Did you not hear me when I said they mean _every_ flavor?"

Harry kicked at his cousin's foot before smiling over at Ron. "She takes most things as a dare. It's why you have to phrase things carefully around her, or she will try it out. She's got no sense of control." He teased Susanna, who kicked at him.

"Oi! Stop telling lies about me! I'm not that careless!" Susanna argued.

"Oh, yeah? If Ron hadn't noticed, would you've put that whole handful of beans in your mouth?" Harry asked her, eyebrows raised.

Susanna paused. "I… well… _you have no proof._" She harrumphed and settled for one bean, munching loudly on the red candy while glaring at Harry. _Cinnamon. Not too awful._

"You're not allowed to be friends with Fred and George." Ron told her, and Harry laughed at her offended expression before diving forward to stop her from shoving the rest of the candy in her mouth. Hades hissed at him for the jostling and jumped on top of his carrier, blue eyes glued onto Harry as he settled back, the beans liberated from Susanna's hold.

"You'll get sick if you do it, Suze. For the sake of Ron and I, just have a pasty instead." Harry pleaded. Susanna rolled her eyes and vengefully bit into the pasty, the yummy pumpkin filling settling her rage. She watched in amusement as Ron and Harry tried each bean, either one of them handing her a piece rather than letting Harry's cousin try to eat them all at once. Susanna took great pleasure in _acting_ like she enjoyed the gross ones - liver, dirt, and earwax to name a few - all to watch Harry and Ron grimace and groan. When they weren't looking she'd take a bite of pasty or drink some juice to wash it away.

_She'd never tell Harry she was thankful he stopped her from eating all of them at once,_ Susanna promised herself.

The countryside flew past them, filled with woods, twisting rivers, and green hills.

Someone knocked on the compartment door frame, and its inhabitants looked up to see a round-faced boy frantically looking around, his cheeks tear stained. Susanna remembered passing him on the platform. "Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?" He asked.

Susanna shook her head. "No, sorry."

The boy began to wail, Hades blinking at him unimpressed - Susanna was just pleased he wasn't hissing up a storm. "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up." Harry tried, and the boy sniffled.

"Yes. Well, if you see him…" The boy mumbled, then walked away.

Ron snorted. "Don't know why he's so bothered. If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it quick as I could." He yelped as Susanna elbowed him in the rib. "Bloody hell!" Then he grimaced at the rat snoozing on his lap. "I brought Scabbers, so I _suppose_ I can't talk." Susanna hums, smiling innocently at the other redhead. "He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference. I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look."

He stood, Scabbers slipped into his pocket, and crossed over to his trunk. After rummaging through it, he pulled out a battered wand. It was chipped and splintering, and something white was poking out at the end. "Unicorn hair's nearly slipping out." Ron grumbled. "Anyway -" he had just sat back down, Scabbers in his lap, when the toadless boy appeared. He wasn't alone this time. A girl had joined them, already dressed in her school robes. Her brown hair was thick and bushy, her front teeth large, and her face dotted with little freckles.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." Susanna blinked, taken back to her old school. She had a classmate by the name of Eleanore Pickett who very much reminded her of the girl with Neville. While Eleanore was blonde and plump, these girls shared the same "I know more than you" sneer and bossy, clipped tone.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it." She heard Ron say, then noticed the girl was far more focused on the wand in the boy's hand than what he'd told her.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then!" She strutted inside without invitation and sat next to Harry, watching Ron with mild interest.

"Er, alright." The boy looked at Susanna, who shrugged. He cleared his throat and waved his wand at the sleeping Scabbers.

_"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

_Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."_

Nothing happened. Scabbers remained grey and sound asleep.

Across from Ron and Susanna, the girl began to snicker, her face smug. Susanna wasn't quite sure how she felt, especially since it was at Ron's expense. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice, and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when Professor McGonagall delivered my letter. But I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

Though she'd spoken fast, Susanna had caught everything she'd said. It was clear the two boys hadn't, though, as they blinked at her in confusion. _That explains her attitude,_ Susanna guessed, eyes raking over the bushy-haired brunette. Still, she wasn't impressed by it.

"I'm Susanna Dursley. I'm a Muggle-born, as well." She introduced herself, leaning forward to shake Hermione Granger's hand.

"Oh. It's wonderful to meet you." Hermione shook it with a pleasant smile.

"I'm Ron Weasley." The redhead muttered unhappily. Hermione wrinkled her nose at him.

"Pleasure." Susanna didn't like her tone, but kept her mouth shut and instead settled for an unseen glare. _Ron wouldn't have been so short with you if you hadn't been so mean,_ she thought.

"I'm Susanna's cousin, Harry Potter." It was clear her cousin hoped that Hermione being a Muggle-born would mean she didn't know him, but the girl gasped and her eyes grew big.

"Are you really? I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_, _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_, and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_!"

Susanna looked at her dazed cousin, who gulped. "Am I?"

"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me!" Susanna glared at the girl, then looked at Harry to make sure he was alright. Less dazed and more sad, his cousin's heart clenched.

"Wow, you don't say. Hey, don't you have a toad to look for?" Susanna jumped in before Hermione could continue, and the girl's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes, of course. You three had better change into your robes, though. I expect we'll be arriving soon." She jumped up and left the compartment, Neville hurrying after her.

"Unbelievable." Susanna grumbled, arms crossed.

"Suze, relax, I'm fine." Harry tried, but she could see the pain in his eyes. She'd never know what it was like to have all those strangers knowing more about her than she did, but she'd do everything she could to make sure Harry knew it was okay to discover those things in his own time, at his own pace, and not from a snooty know-it-all who just wanted to show off.

"Well, whatever house she's in, I hope it's not mine. Where are you off to?" Ron asked, Susanna standing up and digging through her messenger bag.

"To change. Walk around. I'll be back soon. Don't do anything interesting without me." She held up her school robes - after making sure they were hers - as well as her wand. "Harry, make sure Hades doesn't eat poor Scabbers." She flounced out the compartment and looked along the walls, finding arrows pointing towards the girls' loo at the end of the next carriage.

It was empty, so she didn't have to worry about waiting for a stall. Dressed, she unhappily fixed the end of her skirt as she walked out of the loo, the door sliding behind her. Oh, how she longed to be wearing the overalls slung over her shoulder. What did Hogwarts have against girls wearing trousers instead?

Halfway down the carriage, the Hogwarts Express jolted. She yelped and fell forward, prepared to hit the floor when an arm wrapped around her waist from behind and set her right. With a small laugh, she fixed her robes, the stranger's arm no longer holding her. "Thank you. Could you imagine if I started my first year with a broken nose?"

"I'd imagine it'd be unpleasant."

"It'd be embarrassing. So, thank you." Susanna turned, finding herself having to look up a bit at the boy who caught her.

He had silver-white hair, slicked back with some sort of gel. His skin was pale, his chin pointed, and his eyes a beautiful ice grey. "It's no problem. I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."

"Susanna Dursley." She shook his offered hand. "You're quite the hero, Draco Malfoy."

The boy grinned. "I'd say I try, but it comes naturally." She watched his eyes rake over her hair, then her face, and his smile grew. "So, you're a first year as well. Are you traveling alone? My compartment's got room, if you'd like to join me." He pointed to a compartment near the loo.

"Oh, thank you for the offer. But my cousin's waiting for me. Not that I wouldn't mind -"

"No, it's okay." He assured her with a smile. "Maybe I'll run into you again."

"Not if I don't run into you first." She winced. "Sorry. That sounded threatening."

Draco laughed. "It's fine. It was cute - I mean it was funny. You're funny."

They stood in the middle of the carriage hall, blinking at each other and smiling. Then Susanna jumped when the train jolted again, though less sharp than when she'd nearly broken her nose.

"I should go."

"Right." Draco seemed to be as dazed as her. "Yeah. I'll see you later I suppose, Susanna Dursley."

"It was lovely meeting you, Draco Malfoy." Uncharacteristically shy, Susanna turned and walked away with a small smile. She glanced over her shoulder once more at the end of the carriage and sent the stock-still Draco another wave before leaving, nearly running into the side of the door.

She was still blushing and smiling when she entered her compartment, and happily shoved her Muggle clothes back in her bag, wand resting comfortably in her pocket. "What's with you?" Harry asked her as she hummed and pet Hades.

"Hmm? Nothing, go back to what you two were talking about."

"No, I know that look. Your cheeks did the same thing after Eric Clarke gave you that box of chocolate for Valentine's Day last year."

She glared at Harry. "Leave the sleuthing to Sherlock Holmes, Harry. So, what were you saying?" She turned to Ron, who was also looking at her. She thought when he opened his mouth, it'd be to continue whatever the boys were discussing. It wasn't.

"You know, George has that same look on his face whenever Fred teases him about some girl named Angelina."

"You suppose I'll be having to fight this bloke off? My cousin's far too young to be having crushes."

"I mean, if it was Ginny I'd be off my rocker."

"Hmm."

"_SO_, what were you two talking about before?" Susanna glared hard enough that the boys got the message. Ron cleared his throat.

"Well, I was telling Harry about Quidditch."

"Oh, right, the wizarding sport. Yeah, Hagrid mentioned it, and I overheard some boy talking about a new racing broom when we were at Diagon Alley."

"Yeah, the Nimbus 2000. In another life, I'd own one."

"And Gringotts was broken into, but the vault had already been emptied." Harry added.

Susanna blinked. "That's what you lead with, you two. Unbelievable. Which vault?"

"The _Daily Prophet_ didn't mention, but it was high security."

"That's crazy. When did it happen?"

"Don't remember."

Susanna gaped at him, then rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Tell us more about Quidditch." She waved her hand for him to continue, and he laughed before happily doing as she said.

"Well, there are seven players on each team. Three Chasers, two Beaters, one Seeker, and a Keeper. Chasers have to shoot the Quaffle through one of three hoops - each goal earns the team ten points. The keeper guards the goals -"

"Oh, like a goalie?"

"I suppose." He shrugged. "And the Beaters try to keep the Bludgers away from their teammates while hitting them at their opponents. Fred and George play the position. And the Seeker mainly stays out of the game in favor of looking for this little bugger-of-a-ball. It's called the snitch, and the Seeker who catches it wins their team 150 points, and the game ends. The games are loads of fun to watch. My team's the Chudley Cannons."

"Are they any good?" Susanna asked, taking a sip from her pumpkin juice and capping it.

Ron's ears turned red. "Yes."

She was kind enough to not mention his obvious lie, but winked over at an amused Harry. "So on a scale of one-to-ten, ten meaning 'bloody hell I'm going to suffer for eternity' how dangerous is Quidditch?"

Ron snorted. "Well, that's a cheerful thought. I suppose it depends on the game and if you're playing it with proper supervision. I mean, people have died, but most only sustain serious injuries."

"So it's dangerous? Sounds fun."

"If that's how you're approaching what he said, I'm not letting you ever get on a broom." Harry warned her.

"It's okay. While you're busy signing autographs I'll sneak away." She teased him, then turned to Ron. "Did you hear? Harry's apparently famous."

"You're the worst." Susanna and Ron laughed at Harry's words, and the boy joined in. Before anything else could be said, someone knocked on the door frame.

Susanna looked up, smiling when she saw who it was. "Draco! Hi."

The boy didn't look at her, though. Instead his eyes were glued on Harry. "Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes." Susanna saw how rigid Harry had gotten, and watched in confusion as he stood up and began to block his cousin from view.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and Goyle." Draco announced carelessly, gesturing to his two foreboding companions. Susanna waved, but no one saw.

"And my name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Ron sniggered behind a laugh, Susanna completely flummoxed by everything that was transpiring. Draco peered around Harry, glaring at Ron. It was like Susanna was invisible. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask _you_ who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Susanna stood up to say something, but Harry blocked her from view as Draco continued speaking. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake, but Harry ignored it. Susanna didn't have to be standing in front of her cousin to see he was angry.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."

Draco stepped forward, pale cheeks tinged red. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents." Susanna began to shake. This wasn't the boy she met. "They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff raff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid and it'll rub off on you."

"Get out. Now." Harry ordered. "Stay away from me, stay away from my friends, and stay away from my cousin."

"Your cousin?" Draco's face screwed in confusion.

"Seriously, Harry? Draco, what the _hell_ is your problem?" Susanna managed to step around Harry, her arms crossed. Draco watched her with wide eyes, having finally broken through his tunnel vision to notice her.

"_Susanna_… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"I said, stay away from her!" Harry demanded.  
Ron pulled Susanna back and took her place, face as red as his hair. "Say what you did about my family _again_, Malfoy." He dared the blonde.

"Oh, you're going to fight us now, are you?" Draco sneered, but his eyes glanced apologetically at the red-haired girl clutching the hissing kitten to her chest. Susanna was shushing Hades, the poor thing feeling far too threatened with so many strangers talking harshly to each other.

"Unless you get out now." Her cousin announced bravely.

"Scary, Potter. Really. I'm close to running for the hills." Draco quipped back, piercing eyes on Harry. Susanna watched Goyle reach over to grab a Chocolate Frog without asking. It was next to Ron, who lunged forward to stop him.

Goyle shrieked, and Susanna had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing when she saw Scabbers hanging from his finger, teeth clamped down on the skin. Her laugh turned into a scream of fear when Goyle began to swing Scabbers, howling in pain until Scabbers was thrown into the window. The three boys ran off, but not before Draco looked one last time at the scared Susanna, his eyes wide in remorse.

She glared after him, then set Hades down to pick up the prone Scabbers from the floor. She sighed in relief when she felt him breathing, and passed the rat to its owner. "Here. He's only unconscious, he's still breathing. Lucky guy." She told the redhead. "I'm sorry, Draco seemed so nice before, when I met him -"

Harry turned on her. "He's the one you got all flustered about?"

Before Susanna could answer, Hermione Granger returned, her eyes on the sweets covering the floor. "What _has_ been going on?"

"Can we help you with something?" Ron asked in return, glaring harshly.

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us!" Ron glowered at the girl. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"Alright - I only came in here because some people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." She sniffed. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way." She pointed to the spot and flounced off, Ron furiously rubbing at it.

Harry slid the door shut and turned to Susanna. "Er, I have to get out so you can change -"

"Malfoy's the bloke I met at Madam Malkin's!" He shouted, and Susanna's mouth dropped. "The one who said your kind shouldn't be allowed in. What, did you find him attractive enough to ignore anything awful he said to you."

"What? No! H-he caught me when I was falling. He was nice, he never once said anything mean. I didn't know, Harry."

"Well, now you do."

"I… that's why you wouldn't let him see me. I just thought you were… but… Harry, he doesn't know, and he wasn't cruel to me _once_, nor did he say _anything_ cruel about anyone else!"

"Susanna." Ron interrupted the cousins, and they turned to look at him. "I don't know him personally, but I've heard all about his family. They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He sighed. "So… Harry's right. It's best if you don't let Malfoy get close."

Susanna nodded, and looked down. Hades mewled and Susanna sniffed. "I, uh… I'll let you two change."

Before either boy could keep her she walked out the door, back to the compartment as she stared out the window across, the sky darkening as they sped deeper into a thick forest.

_"We will be reaching Hogsmeade Station in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage and pets on the train, they will be taken to the school separately."_ The announcement ended, and Susanna looked down at Hades, who was purring into her chest.

"I suppose you think Harry and Ron are right, too? Yeah, I know they are." She stared out the window again, and wondered if the boy she'd met was merely a figment of her imagination.

* * *

The minute the train rolled to a stop, Susanna was marching into the crowded corridor of their carriage, Harry and Ron behind her. Her heart ached for Hades, wishing she could take him with her, but he's far more noticeable than Scabbers - who was curled up Ron's pocket, still sleeping.

She helped push through the throng of students and out the door, holding onto Harry's wrist so she wouldn't lose her cousin on the small, crowded platform.

It was a cold night, so cold she could even see her own breath. She looked around to see if she could figure out where they had to go, when a familiar boomed over the excited platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Alright there, Harry? Susanna?"

"Hagrid!" Susanna waved happily, her cousin grinning.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry called.

The giant's hairy face beamed down at them before he gestured to the rest of the huddled new students. "C'mon, follow me - anymore firs' years? Mind yer step, now!"

Hagrid whistled sharply and began to lead them down the steps of the platform and through a nearly pitch-black forest. Everyone slipped and slid down the narrow path, Susanna forgetting to look down as she walked. Thankfully for her dignity Harry and Ron were quick to catch her. She attributed it to their collective nervousness that neither boy teased her about it.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here!" Hagrid called, his lantern swinging high in the sky.

When they cleared the forest and stood at the edge of a great lake, Susanna's heart stopped and a sharp breath escaped her lungs. Around her, the other first years were gasping in awe. Harry was squeezing her hand, and Ron was holding on tight to her elbow.

There, on the horizon, resting on a high mountain and practically blocking the starry sky, was a castle more fantastic than anything Susanna could ever imagine. She wished she had a camera to take a picture, so she could sketch it later. Her memory would do her new home no justice.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. He pointed to eleven boats, the largest of which was clearly meant for the giant. Susanna led Harry and Ron to the closest one to the friendly giant, and barely noticed Hermione Granger joining them when she caught Draco watching her, albeit briefly. When he looked away she followed his lead, Harry and Ron distracted from the exchange as they handed each other a couple of sweets.

"Would you like one?" Susanna asked Hermione, turning to offer her a jelly slug.

The girl's nose wrinkled. "No, thank you. Do you have any idea what that'll do to your teeth?"

Susanna didn't appreciate the tone, nor the potential lecture. "Fortunately for my teeth, I always brush and floss them." She turned and angrily tore into her candy, self-consciously running her tongue over her teeth.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted. He checked to make sure the first years had settled, winked at Harry and Susanna, then stared straight ahead. "Right then. _FORWARD!_" On his command, the boats began to move on their own accord, following Hagrid's across the vast black lake. The water was even smoother than Susanna suspected it to be. It grew darker, too, as they got closer to the castle, Hogwarts casting a monstrous shadow over the little fleet of boats.

"Heads down!" Hagrid called, ducking under a curtain of ivy as they approached a rather ominous looking cave. They bobbed through the tunnel, and it was so long Susanna assumed they were traveling underneath Hogwarts. After what felt like hours the boats docked at what looked to be an underground harbor. Harry was the first to get out, helping Susanna. Ron got out on his own, and as Hermione started to stand the boat shifted.  
Quick as lightning, Susanna's hand shot out and she grabbed the obnoxious girl, helping to steady her. "Thank you." Hermione mumbled softly as the redhead helped her out.

"No problem." Susanna sent a pleasant smile her way then walked further up to join Harry and Ron.

Hagrid - who'd been checking the boats as the students left - turned and held up a small croaking creature.

"Oi, yeh there! Is this yer toad?" He pointed to Neville, who'd just gotten out of that same boat.

"Trevor!" The boy cried out, happily tripping over himself to pick up his lost toad. How he managed to lose it while Trevor was clearly still with him, Susanna would never know.

Hagrid began to lead them up the rocks and pebbles towards yet another dark passage, this one inclined. Had it not been for all her dance lessons, Susanna's legs would've been on fire. Harry and Ron panted next to her, the latter of whom shot her dirty glares when he noticed how much easier she breathed than him. They eventually came out onto a smooth grass field, just under the castle's shadow.

Hagrid's lamp swung as he walked them up a flight of stone steps, Susanna now losing breath too, much to Ron's pleasure - the other ginger yelped when she managed to elbow him for his cheek. Then at last they were crowded around a large oak door.

"Everyone here? Yeh there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid asked, pointing at Neville. The round-faced boy nodded sharply, and with bated breath Susanna watched the giant lift his fist to knock three times on the front door.


	6. The Sorting Hat

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads! **

**First, RedShirt1453: I totally agree - I did come on strong with romance. Do not fret, though. When planning this story, I heavily outlined and already agreed with your point - the real romance doesn't start until their fourth year, actually. There will also be a reveal as to why I came on so strong, because that scene was already planned and is going to come up again later on, which plays into why the young prickish ferret was actually nice to Susanna. So yes, came on strong - but for a reason. _I solemnly swear. _But also, 50 points to your house for your astute observation and constructive criticism. And _Sirius_ly, please feel free to remind me if I'm not sticking to my outline of fourth year being the pairings time to rise - there will be a few tidbits of nice!Draco in the mix before that, but no romance. **

**Ok, done with the puns. I promise.**

**Okay, the Sorting Ceremony. The moment of truth. Also, new nicknames for Susanna. Someone seems taken aback when they see her, like they're seeing a ghost (three guesses who).  
**

**Quick warning, little-bitty heads up: so, as established, Susanna is a ballerina, basically all her life - she probably started at 2. Now, also established - her mother controlling her diet far more than Dudley's. Now, I was a ballerina for 14 years. For those of you who may have danced intensely or recreationally, you might relate to me when I say some dance teachers and your own mind have a way of affecting how you see yourself in the mirror, especially when you're a preteen. In all the time I a ballerina, I wasn't anorexic or bullemic, but I did have body dysmorphia and a fear of eating too much because of it. Now, Susanna's neither anorexic or bullemic, but there's small allusions to body dysmorphia that will be tackled during the first year. We saw a bit of referencing to her concern about eating when she had the sweets last chapter, so this brings all that self-consciousness to light. I promise this isn't graphic nor does it take over the whole plot, but this was something I considered greatly when creating this character. So, TRIGGER WARNING, but it's handled far more gracefully than my own situation, and given all the care and love from myself, Harry, and Ron. Again, no bullemia, no anorexia, potential mild body dysmorphia she learns to overcome over her first year. It'll pop up now and then later on of course, as that's all an uphill battle, but it's nothing extreme, nothing graphic. I try to write these mental health issues with hope and love at the forefront, because as someone who suffers from a plethora of mental health issues that's what I need to keep strong, and the _Harry Potter_ series especially carries so much hope in it already. And some of you may be thinking this is an issue an 11-year-old wouldn't face. I assure you, plenty of us have. So be respectful in your reviews, and remember just because _you_ didn't experience it, doesn't mean other people haven't, too. They have. And if I see some shady-ass-rude comments, I WILL block AND delete. I've got no time for that. **

**Alright, enough of that. You get the picture, just wanted to make sure people were properly warned and all. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

When Hagrid lowered his gigantic fist, the door swung open, revealing a witch in emerald-green robes. Her black hair was pulled into a low bun, and her pointed green hat made her appear even taller than she was. Her face was stern, her glasses catlike, and it looked like she hadn't smiled in years.

"The firs' years, Professor McGongagall." Hagrid announced, and the woman nodded.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Her voice was strong and laced with a thick Scottish accent. She pulled the door open even wider, and the entrance hall that awaited them was as big as Number 4 Privet Drive. Flaming torches decorated the stone walls in a way nearly-identical to Gringotts.

_Had the wizarding world not heard of electricity? Hopefully Hogwarts at least had toilets. If they had them on the Express, they should have them in this old castle, right?_

The stern professor led them across the stone floor, the first years following like nervous little ducklings on their first outing to the pond. Susanna could hear laughter and loud conversations coming out of the right doorway, and she began to shift her weight as the anxiety grew in her gut. _Now she really was glad she didn't eat that handful of Bertie Bott's in one go._

Luckily for her stomach, Professor McGonagall showed the first year students into an empty chamber instead, just off the hall. Everyone was packed in together like sardines, and Susanna took Harry's hand when she noticed his breath getting uneven. Knowing it to be her, he squeezed twice in thanks.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." The woman began. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you'll be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like you family within Hogwarts."

"_I bloody hope not._" Susanna whispered in Harry's ear, and he bit his lip to hide his snort.

"You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." The woman cleared her throat, staring around at the nervous faces. "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Susanna caught the woman staring past her head, and turned to see Neville's clock was fastened under his ear. Ron's nose still had the smudge, and Harry's hair was - as usual - everywhere. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She stalked out of the room, and Susanna looked at Neville.

"Here, your cloak's crooked. Is this okay?" She reached out her hands to help him and he nodded, round face flushed as she fixed him. "I'm happy you found your toad."

"Oh. Thank you. Susanna, right?"

"Yes. You're welcome, Neville." With a smile she turned around, and saw Ron rubbing at his nose. Tall for his age, he had to lean down to talk to the shorter redhead.

"Did I get it? Please tell me I got it." She checked him over and nodded. "Great. One less thing for my brothers to tease me about.

"How do you exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked over the quiet conversations around them.

Ron shrugged, frowning. "Some sort of test, I think. Fred says it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

"A test. A bloody test?" Susanna whispered harshly, and her face was ashen. "I'm doomed."

Behind her, Hermione was busy talking fast and loud about every spell she'd read about, and was asking around which one she'd need. Harry looked like he was about to faint, Ron looked green, and Susanna was shaking with nerves.

"Hey, Hermione? Not helping." She found herself saying. "_Really_ not helping. Please just _stop._"

Hermione's mouth clamped shut at Susanna's words, and the redhead hoped she hadn't sounded as sharp as she thought she did. Still, Ron's and Harry's complexion was finally returning to normal, and Neville was muttering a small _thanks_ to her back.

_Alright, Susanna, deep breaths,_ she thought to herself. _Deep breaths. A test could mean anything. She read the books. As long as it has nothing to do with stars, she'd be fine. Deep breaths._

Screams from the other first years behind her made Susanna jump, breathing now erratic. She spun to grab Harry and pull him out of potential harm's way when _ghosts began floating through the walls. _They didn't spare a single glance to the huddled, shaking first years as they spoke to each other.

A monk was arguing with a ghost wearing tights, a ruff collar, and curled wig.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -" The monk was saying it, but the other ghost wasn't having it.

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"

Susanna almost answered, but no sound would come out of her mouth, so she promptly closed it lest the ghosts notice.

"New students!" the monk - _Friar_ \- smiled, clapping his hands briefly in excitement. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" Susanna nodded with a few other students, but had apparently been rendered mute. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know!" The Friar grinned down at them.

"Move along now." Professor McGonagall's sharp voice ordered, and Susanna looked over to see she had reentered the chamber. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts floated off, and a bare smile crossed the woman's face. "Now form a line, and follow me." The stern look returned, and the students filed into a single line. Susanna in front of Harry, behind a sandy-haired boy, and she shuffled with the rest of her classmates out of the little chamber and through a pair of double doors.

The Great Hall was exactly as it was named - great. Thousands upon thousands of candles floated in midair. Students sat at four long tables, watching the entering first years with amusement while glittering goblets and plates of gold were set in front of them.

At the very back of the hall, a large table was fashioned to face the students. The teachers and faculty sitting there stared down at the new students with interest. Susanna kept her chin up and her shoulders back, Madame Dulaine's thick french accent ringing in her ears._ "Stand straight, Suzanne. Look ahead, not down."_

She did glance further up than ahead, and was taken aback by what she saw. The ceiling looked as though it didn't exist, the starry night sky filling her eyes.

Not wanting to trip over the boy in front of her, she looked ahead once more. Professor McGonagall was ascending the platform the staffs' table rested on. Someone came forward and placed an old four-legged stool next to the woman, as well as a pointed wizard's hat. Patched and ragged, it looked as though it'd seen better days.

When the stool was positioned where she wanted it, Professor McGonagall set the hat down on top of it, and gestured for the new students to gather around the base of the platform. "I don't understand," Harry whispered in his cousin's ear, "do we have to try and pull a rabbit out of it?" Susanna snorted down at the floor, shoulders shaking while she covered her mouth to hide the sound. "Suze, look."

Susanna did as her cousin commanded, mouth dropping a bit when she saw the hat had straightened, two patches folding like eyes and a rip at its brim opening as though it was a mouth. Then, the hat began to sing.

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry,_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means,_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The Great Hall burst into loud applause when the Hat finished its song, its words playing in Susanna's mind. Did she have a mind ready enough for Ravenclaw? Was she just and loyal, like a true Hufflepuff? She knew she was cunning, just like Slytherin house was described. And as for Gryffindor… was she brave at heart? Was she enough for _any_ house?

"So we've just got to try on the hat?" Ron asked, and Susanna snorted at his put-off tone. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

"Sounds fun… and very dangerous." She amended when Harry glared at her, shaking his head. "I promise you, there will be no troll-fighting on my end."

"Still, don't you think it's asking a lot of us? The hat, I mean." Harry whispered. Ron gulped and Susanna nodded. "Great. That makes me feel loads better."

"Sorry, next time I'll lie." Susanna muttered just as Professor McGonagall was stepping forward, a long roll of parchment in her hands.

"Now, when I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on stool to be Sorted. Abbott, Hannah!" She called the first name on the list. Susanna groaned, and realized they'd be Sorted in order of last name, not first, which meant she'd be placed in a house before Harry and Ron.

The pink-faced girl with low blonde pigtails shakily pressed through the group and walked up the steps. She sat delicately on the stool and pulled on the hat. A moment passed, then -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted.

The table on their right cheered, welcoming Hannah to their house with handshakes and hugs. The Friar smiled down at her, and the blonde grinned bashfully. When the applause died down, Professor McGonagall read the next name, "Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The redhead scuttled off to sit next to Hannah Abbott, the two girls introducing themselves.

"Boot, Terry!" McGonagall called.

"RAVENCLAW!" The boy joined the cheering table second from the left, shaking hands and nodding smartly.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!" became the second Ravenclaw to be Sorted. "Brown, Lavender!" was called, and the girl became the first Gryffindor of the night. The table on the far left exploded, and Susanna watched anxiously as the girl sat down, wishing she was in her place as her name got closer to being called.

"Bulstrode, Millicent!"

"SLYTHERIN!" The large girl proudly made her way to the table on the far right, and they all looked rather terrifying. Not because they were all huge, but the way they held themselves. It reminded Susanna of who she used to be, and she couldn't do that again. She couldn't go back to before.

"Chang, Cho!"

"RAVENCLAW!"  
"Corner, Michael!"

"RAVENCLAW!"  
"Cornfoot, Stephen!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"That's a lot of Ravenclaws." Ron mumbled.

"Crabbe, Vincent!" One of Draco's… friends… was called up. The hat didn't hesitate.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Davis, Tracey!" went to Slytherin as well.

"Dursley, Susanna!" Professor McGonagall called. Susanna made a choking sound, and Harry helped gently urge her forehead.

"Love you no matter where you end up." He whispered to her before she walked through the crowd, careful not to trip over her robes.

Breath. Look ahead, not down. Chin up, back straight, shoulders back, Susanna told herself. When she reached the stool she turned to sit, but paused for a moment.

A pale man with a large, crooked nose and greasy black hair was watching her. His black eyes were blown wide and his mouth had formed a thin line.

Confused but aware she didn't want to be the First-Year-Who-Made-A-Scene, Susanna sat down on the stool and placed the hat over her head, holding it so it didn't slip all the way down.

_"Ahh, yes… hmm… right. There's so much doubt in your head, isn't there, Susanna Dursley? So much you're afraid of… yes… but that fear, it doesn't hold you back, does it?"_ The hat asked, and she wondered if the others could hear it before remembering the other Sortings were silent except for the announcement.

"Suppose not." She finally mumbled.

The hat chuckled, amused. _"Quite a funny little thing, aren't you? And daring, yes, I see that nerve. Always leaping without looking, always the first to protect, even before your change…"_

"Dudley's my brother. My twin. Have to take care of him." Susanna responded, feeling the hat in her mind, seeing her memories.

_"And you do... hmm, all that loyalty, and yet… all those lessons learned already. That courage… yes, the courage to change, to keep… moving. Forward. There's only one place for you, isn't there?_ GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted, and Susanna tore it from her head, unafraid of how messy her pigtails had become. She ran to the cheering table on the far left, smiling and shaking hands with a few of her new housemates - including the Weasley twins. Lavender Brown - who was sitting across from her - smiled pleasantly, relief clear in her eyes that she wouldn't be the only new Gryffindor.

Susanna sat next to Percy Weasley and turned to watch the rest of the Sorting. "Entwhistle, Kevin!" was placed in Ravenclaw, "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" was placed in Hufflepuff, and "Finnegan, Seamus!" was Sorted into Gryffindor. He sat down beside Lavender Brown, smiling happily.

"Goldstein, Anthony!" was called next, and was promptly placed in Ravenclaw. "Goyle, Gregory!" was called after him, and Draco's second friend made his way up to the stool. Seconds later he was a Slytherin, and Susanna watched as the Malfoy boy walked closer to the platform, his entire posture changed. He looked just like he had when they first met.

As if sensing her gaze, Draco turned his head to the left. Their gazes met over slowly-filling tables, and he managed a small, sad smile before looking back at the platform. Susanna's eyes wandered away from him and towards Ron and Harry, who were talking quietly.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Susanna watched the bushy-haired girl shakily approach the stool before primly sitting down. The hat paused for a few moments. "GRYFFINDOR!" It announced, and she happily made her way to the table. She paused when she saw Susanna, but the redhead waved her over and pat the spot next to her.

Four more names were called before Neville made his way to the stool. He fell once, but managed to pick himself up and drop down on the stool.

The hat took far longer for him than it did for Susanna. When it finally landed on "GRYFFINDOR!" Neville was so excited he left the platform with the hat, and had to return it to Professor McGonagall as the Great Hall broke into laughter. The red-eared Neville sat next to Seamus, and he relaxed when Susanna gave him a thumbs-up.

Two more names were called before "Malfoy, Draco!" swaggered towards the platform. Susanna was having a hard time matching the boy on the train to the boy Harry met at Diagon Alley. And yet the way he spoke to Ron… Draco Malfoy was someone she'd have to keep clear of.

That sentiment was made all the easier moments later, when Draco had only just sat on the stool. He barely lowered it over the top of his head when the hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!" He smugly pulled off the hat and walked toward Crabbe and Goyle, body oozing smugness. _That was it, then. No use… thinking about it anymore._

Susanna only half-watched the following Sortings, mostly focusing on Harry.

Five more were Sorted before her cousin, the last two fraternal twins. Both rejoiced when Parvarti Patil joined Padma at Gryffindor, and then Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Potter, Harry!"

All at once, the Great Hall erupted into sharp whispers.

"_Potter_, did she say?"

"_The _Harry Potter?"

You'll be fine, Harry, Susanna whispered to herself, and sent him two thumbs up as he sat down on the stool. Their green eyes stayed connected until the hat slid down to the tip of his nose.

She watched in agony as he seemed to sit there, and sit there, his Sorting taking nearly as long as Neville's.

Crossing her fingers in hopes he'd be Sorted into her house, Susanna held her breath as finally the hat straightened.

"GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted, and Susanna was the first to jump up, the loudest to cheer as she practically vaulted out of her seat, her cousin rushing to her. They hugged as the Gryffindors roared like the lions they were. Percy managed to shake Harry's hand while the twins jumped and shouted, crying, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"We did it, Freak." Susanna whispered, the cousins still hugging.

"As if there was any doubt, Freak." Harry teased, and they finally broke apart. Hermione wordlessly slid down so the cousins could sit together and Susanna thanked her.

As they sat, the applause finally seemed to die down. It would be four more Sorted before "Thomas, Dean!" joined the Gryffindors, then Harry and Susanna were holding hands as "Turpin, Lisa!" sat with the Ravenclaws and Professor McGonagall called their friend's name.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

"_Looks a little green, doesn't he?_" Susanna whispered worriedly, noting the other redhead's complexion.

"_No, he looks fine. Wasn't he always that color?_" Harry asked, his tone as heavy as his cousin's.

There really was no reason for them to worry, though. Not even a second later, the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron seemed to float down from the platform to Gryffindor table, and happily hugged Harry and Susanna before running around the table to sit between Lavender Brown and an older student. Susanna grinned across at her fellow redhead, and he grinned back.

"Zabini, Blaise!" was made a Slytherin, and then Professor McGonagall was rolling up her scroll as the stool and hat were taken away, ending the Sorting. Susanna's stomach grumbled as she stared at the empty tableware. It felt like it'd been a lifetime since she ate the sweets from the trolley.

Harry nudged Susanna, and she looked towards the faculty table to see Professor Albus Dumbledore rising from his seat. Mouth in a wide grin and arms thrust open, he looked as though he couldn't be any happier to see them. "Welcome!" Professor Dumbledore cried. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" As he sat down, the Great Hall broke into applause and cheers. Susanna awkwardly joined in, completely befuddled.

Harry seemed to have had a similar reaction. "Is he… a bit mad?" He asked Percy Weasley, leaning in front of his cousin.

"Mad? He's a genius!" Percy declared. "Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry? And the pork chops are always quite juicy, Susanna." Percy told the cousins.

In perfect sync, Harry and Susanna looked from the redhead prefect to the plates before them. Only they were no longer empty. No, instead, they were filled to the brim with all sorts of delicious food. Susanna wondered if her father would be more understanding of the wizarding world if he'd been allowed access to this sort of feast while Harry and herself received their letters.

There were platters of roast beef, roast chicken, the juiciest pork chops Susanna had seen - her mother's always came out dry and bland - lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak. Large golden bowls were filled with boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, chips, peas, carrots, and corn. There were plates of Yorkshire pudding, tureens of gravy and ketchup, and even small bowls of peppermint humbugs - which, yes, the latter did confuse Susanna.

Harry, who'd practically been starved by her parents for eleven years, made sure a little bit of everything covered his plate until not a bit of gold could be seen. He dug in and groaned happily, his cousin smiling as he ate his fill. For all the food Susanna wanted to eat, her mind was too easily taken control of by her mother's and Madame Dulaine's words.

_"Take pride in your body, girl. Your face is looking a little puffier than normal."_ Madame Dulaine seemed to snap at her as she almost added a couple of boiled potatoes to lay beside her eight chips, four more than she should have taken.

_"Susan, if you eat any more than that, we'll have to buy you new leotards!"_ Her mother chided her as she took two slices of roast chicken, the rest of her plate full of peas, carrots, and corn.

"Sure you've got enough?" Ron asked her, voice teasing. She paused and blinked, wondering if her friend had said it or if her mother was across from her, scolding her for taking more than she should.

"What, is it too much?" Susanna asked, tone completely serious.

Ron paused, and blinked. "No. No, not at all. You sure you don't want more?" He asked practically shoving a whole lamb chop down his throat, bone and all.

Susanna wrinkled her nose. "After witnessing that, no. This is enough. Disgusting, _Ickle Ronniekins._ Learn how to eat." The other redhead merely rolled his eyes, and Susanna forked some veggies into her mouth, winking at him.

"Oi, who said you could call my brother that, Dursley?" One of the twins asked, leaning over Percy too glare jokingly at the girl.

"No one. Try and stop me, Weasley." She glared back, and then snorted when the twin went cross-eyed. "Which one of you was responsible for the 'yellow rat' spell? It was thoroughly entertaining and exceedling unuseful."

"That'd be me, Susie-Q."

"Don't take all the credit, George. I helped with the rhymes."

"Indeed you did, Fred."

"Hey, George." The twins stopped and looked over at the redhead girl. "The first jinx I learn, I'm using on you."

"Why? What did I bleeding do?"

"'Susie-Q'? _Really?_"

"Uh-oh, Georgie's in trouble."

Susanna grinned dangerously. "I don't know why you're acting like that, Fred. It'll probably take some time to figure out which one of you is which. I might _accidentally _mistake you for George." Susanna took a bite of chicken, then shrugged teasingly. "Just a thought."

"Uh-oh. Freddie, it looks like Susie-Q could be Gryffindor's latest troublemaker."

"I don't suppose Susie-Wusie wouldn't mind some extra guidance from us?" The Weasley twins stared back at her, but before Susanna could respond, Ron jumped in.

"No, absolutely not! The world doesn't need more of you!" Ron argued. Susanna snorted.

"He's right. Sounds like a very bad idea."

"Quite right, Susanna. Your first year here is very important. I'd advise you to focus on your work, really build the foundation of your education here." Percy added to the conversation, missing his brothers mocking him behind his back. Susanna hadn't though, and she bit her lip to hide her laughter as she nodded.

"Yes." She managed to mouth at the twins. They grinned and winked back before returning to a conversation with dreadlocked boy - Lee Jordan, if Susanna remembered correctly.

"I'm watching you, _Susie_." Ron warned. Susanna almost complained about all the nicknames the Weasleys seemed to be throwing her way, but was distracted when Harry piled two pork chops on her plate.

"Oi!" She yelped.

"Shut up. They're really good, and your mum isn't here to give it to Dudley instead. C'mon, it's a special night. You can go back to your healthy diet tomorrow." Harry teased, but it was only on the surface. Susanna could feel the worry exuding from her cousin, and smiled in thanks.

It's not that she was like some other ballerinas - she'd heard horror stories from the older girls. She didn't have a problem with eating, or not-eating, that is. Maybe she would've, if things were different. If she was still dancing all year round. And while she was grateful she was… _healthier_… than her twin, sometimes she wished she knew she could eat more than just the small plates of salad and occasional meat her mother would serve her. She wished she could tell her mind to listen to her body instead of the voices of her mum and ballet instructor. Harry had been right, on the train. She really could eat anything, if given the chance. And she had, when she ate all those sweets earlier. Still, a large part of her wish she hadn't. The voices weren't helping the guilt.

_They could go away,_ she thought, _with time they'll go away._

So she took a breath and ate her first bite of pork chop. Then a second, then a third, and soon she was happily eating more of what she wanted rather than what she thought she needed.

_It's a special night, it's a special night,_ she reminded herself, Harry grinning when he saw her taking some bacon.

"That does look good." Susanna startled, and looked over her shoulder to see the ghost with the ruff hovering over her and Harry, staring sadly at Harry's medium-rare steak.

"Can't you -" Her cousin began, but the ghost shook his head.

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years." He informed them. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor tower."

"I know who you are!" Ron shouted, pointing at the ghost. Susanna snorted at his lack of tact. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholase de Mimsy-"

"_Nearly_ headless?" Seamus Finnigan asked in a thick Irish accent. "How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this." The miffed Sir Nicholas grabbed his left ear and tugged down. His whole head swung off his neck till his left temple touched his shoulder. Whoever had attempted to behead him clearly botched it, because there was a thin layer of skin effectively treating Sir Nicholas's head like a door hinge.

Susanna groaned and discreetly shoved away her plate, once again losing her already lackluster appetite. The git of a ghost looked pleased as he sung his head up, and Susanna nearly threw her plate at Seamus for ruining her supper.

The ghost coughed, and smiled down at the first years. "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup the last six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable. He's the Slytherin ghost." Sir Nicholas nodded towards the table to the far right, and Susanna gulped when she saw a gaunt-phased phantom with blank eyes covered in what must've been blood, only his was silver. The Bloody Baron was floating next to Draco, who seemed as displeased and horrified as those sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harry snickered beside her.

"How did he get covered in blood?" Seamus asked, and Susanna threw him a disbelieving look.

"I've never asked." Sir Nicholas hummed, tone delicate.

Second helping only half eaten, Susanna decided to ignore her plate, stomach finally calming down after Sir Nicholas nearly pulled off his head. Nearly Headless indeed, she thought bitterly as Ron continued to shove his face with food, Harry close behind.

Finally, when everyone else seemed to have had their fill, the platters and plates cleared, tableware shiny - it was like food had never touched them!

Moments later, pudding was served. There were blocks of ice cream that looked as delicious as the ones at the shop in Diagon Alley - and in every flavor she could imagine. There was apple pie, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, jam donuts, trifle, strawberries dusted in powdered sugar, Jell-O, rice pudding, cauldron cakes, and so much more.

Susanna reached for some eclairs and jam donuts, as well as a few strawberries to at least appease her mother's voice, nevermind the fact they were covered in sugar anyway. Harry was helping himself to the treacle tarts, having apparently fallen in love with them.

"I'm half-and-half." Seamus was telling any first year that would listen. "Me dad's a Muggle. Me mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him!" They all laughed with the Irish boy.

"What about you, Neville?" Ron asked when the laughter died down.

The plump boy was still smiling, and he shrugged before telling his tale. "Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch. But the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My great uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned." Susanna blinked, more than worried for the boy. "But nothing happened until I was eight. Great uncle Algie came 'round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great aunt Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here. They thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me a toad!" While the others laughed and Neville bit into a cauldron cake, Susanna watched him.

_I'm sure that wasn't the only reason your gran was crying,_ she thought, before finishing her last bite of eclair.

Hermione was leaning in front of Harry and Susanna to talk to Percy about lessons, particularly her interest in Transfiguration. "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing. What about you, Susanna? Have any subjects interested you?" Percy asked the Dursley girl, who drank from her goblet of water before nodding.

"Sorry. Yes, actually. Potions."

"Potions is a difficult class, particularly the professor in charge. Have you done the reading ahead?"

"Mhmm. Nearly five times. Herbology looks fun, as well. I'm hoping all the years I had to garden with mum will help." Harry suddenly hissed, and Susanna turned to look at her cousin. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing." He rubbed at his lightning bolt scar, then looked at Percy. "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Her cousin asked, and Susanna too looked at the other redhead with interest.

"Oh, you know Professor Quirrell already?"

"Yes, we met him at Diagon Alley." Susanna told Percy.

"I see. Well, it's no wonder he's looking so nervous. That's Professor Snape - Susanna, he's the Potions instructor." Susanna looked up at the faculty table, to the same greasy-haired man who stared at her during her Sorting. Professor Quirrell indeed looked intimidated by his neighbor, even his purple turban was vibrating with fear. "He doesn't want to, though - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harry and Susanna continued to stare at the Potions professor, but he never glanced at the cousins again. Eventually they returned to their dessert and conversations, until at least everyone was sleepy and full. The plates and food disappeared, and the Great Hall once again fell silent as Professor Dumbledore stood.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Old Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he stared down in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"_Don't_ even think about going." Harry hissed at her.

Susanna mocked offense. "I'm not that stupid."

"_Susanna Jane Dursley._"

"You suck the fun out of everything, Harry." She hissed back at him.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."

Harry was one of the few who laughed, and Susanna elbowed him when she realized that fact. He awkwardly cleared his throat and turned to Percy. "He's not serious?" He asked the older Weasley.

"Must be." Percy frowned in thought. "It's odd, because usually he gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"Dangerous beasts'? What kind of dangerous beasts?" Susanna asked with great interest, but fortunately for Harry's sanity, Dumbledore cleared his throat once more.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" At this, some of the other Professor's smiles seemed to become more forced. She noted Professor Snape appeared especially ready to call it a night.

Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and flicked it. A long golden ribbon flew out of it, rising high above the tables and twisting into large, floating words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"

The rest of the Great Hall broke into song, and Susanna found herself covering her ears as she sang in a much lower volume:

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald,_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling,_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everyone finished the school song at different times - including Susanna, quite a few hurried the lyrics along in favor of it _just_ ending. Unfortunately for all but an amused Professor Dumbledore, the Weasley twins had elected to sing in the tune of a funeral march. Slow and drawn out, Susanna would've admired their style if she hadn't been so ready to just fall into bed.

Dumbledore conducted their last few lines, and when they were finished clapped the loudest, eyes wet. "Ah." He wiped at them. "Music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

"Gryffindor first years, please follow me." Percy rose, and the ten new Gryffindors followed the tall prefect out the Great Hall, other first years following their own prefects as well.

Susanna and the others were led up the marble staircase, all moving sluggishly thanks to the feast they'd just devoured. Susanna supposed all those stairs would mean she'd work off what she ate, but at the present time she only felt as though they'd never reach their dormitory. The people in the portraits around them moved like those on the Chocolate Frog cards, pointing and whispering. Percy led them up another set of stairs, pausing when a staircase moved from one landing to another.

"This is the school's Grand Staircase. It's the most direct path to the dormitories and classroom corridors. As you've noticed, the staircases do indeed like to change, so it's best you remain patient or else you'll find yourself lost. Ah, here we go."

He led them up the set of stairs, then they paused once more. Susanna looked up to see a pair of walking sticks floating midair ahead of them, and Percy sighed heavily. "Peeves. A poltergeist." He whispered to the first years. Susanna nodded tiredly, rubbing at her eyes even as the walking sticks came closer. "Peeves, show yourself!"

Something blew a loud, rude raspberry, and Susanna jumped.

"Do you want me to go get the Bloody Baron?" Percy asked, and Susanna was briefly reminded of her mother.

There was a loud pop, and a little man appeared. His smile was as wide as the Cheshire Cat. He had dark eyes and was floating cross-legged, walking sticks clutched in his hands. "Ooooooh!" The poltergeist released an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped towards the small group, and they all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy shouted.

Peeves stuck out his tongue, then vanished into thin air - perhaps he was a human Cheshire Cat after all. The walking sticks fell on Neville's head, and Susanna winced at the sound.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," Percy warned as they set off again, like that hadn't been obvious, "the Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

Percy waited for the rest of the group to catch up on the seventh floor landing. Hanging in front of them - as large as a door - was a portrait of a fat woman in a pink silk toga and a glass goblet of red wine in her hand. Her hair was pinned up and decorated with a thick crown of grapes and leaves, grapevines trimming her portrait and a Greek or Roman building painted in the background, high over a field of grass and trees.

"Password?" She asked.

"Caput Draconis." Percy responded, Susanna making sure to remember is as the portrait swung forward, revealing a large, round hole in the wall. Everyone scrambled through - Seamus and Susanna helping Neville get a leg up - and gathered around in the middle of a big, round room. It was cozy, the walls covered in different portraits and faded red and gold wallpaper. There were cushioned chairs, comfortable-looking couches, tables and chairs scattered around the walls, large windows where the moonlight peaked through, and a roaring fireplace.

"Welcome to Gryffindor Tower. Where we're standing is the common room. Your dormitories will be found up the spiral staircase behind me, up one floor. Boys on the left, girls on the right. Now, I suggest you all head up to bed and get a good night's sleep. Breakfast starts at 7:30 in the Great Hall, and the prefects as well as our Head of House will hand out your timetables. Goodnight, and welcome to Gryffindor." Percy Weasley dismissed them, and the rest of the group scurried up the spiral stairs hidden behind a stone arch.

"Coming, Susie? Harry?" The cousins were pulled out of their stupor by Ron as he waved them over from the stairs. They followed him up, marching slowly until they reached their floor. "I'm tired enough to sleep through the week. G'night, Susie. Try not to throttle Granger, eh?" He teased, and she rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't. Go to bed, Ickle Ronniekins." She teased. He glowered at her then grinned, tripping through the door into his room.

"Bet your ready to sleep in a room without having to share with me, right?" Harry asked, and Susanna scoffed.

"Oh, yes. I've always longed to share a room with four other girls, instead. I'm sure they'll be a cakewalk compared to you, you needy git."

Harry snorted, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm just across the landing, Suze."

"I know. Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you in the morning. 7:30 sharp." He hummed in agreement and they separated, Harry closing the door behind him. Susanna sighed and walked into her own room to find it'd somehow already dissolved into chaos, the girls clearly wanting to unpack their belongings.

Susanna found her own four-poster bed, the red velvet drapes soft to the touch.

Hades was curled up by her pillow, and purred into a stretch when Susanna scratched behind his ears. He hissed when he noticed the girls, who were nearly as loud as the streets of Diagon Alley.

"Shh, shh my love. It's okay." She picked him up and let him nuzzle into her chest.

"What's his name?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the bed to the left of Susanna.

"Oh. Hades."

"Hmm, fitting." Susanna nodded, too tired to hold a conversation.

"Yeah. It is. Sorry, if he hisses at you. He's still getting used to other people." Susanna warned.

"Of course. Well, goodnight. Would you like me to wake you up for breakfast tomorrow? I have a reliable internal clock. And my wristwatch has an alarm, too."

"Oh… yes, thank you, Hermione. Goodnight." Susanna watched as the girl climbed under her covers and closed the curtains, effectively ignoring the rest of the dorm.

The other girls were giggling, packing away their clothes. Susanna set her kitten back down on the bed and opened her trunk, mouth open when she saw her plain uniform had changed. While her skirt and vest remained dark grey, the latter's trimming was scarlet and gold, matching her ties. Her black robes - which originally had the Hogwarts crest - now had a Gryffindor badge in its place. A scarlet and gold scarf was folded over her desk chair, a matching pair of gloves laid on top.

"Susanna, right?" She jumped and turned, Lavender Brown suddenly behind her with the Patil twins smiling from their beds.

"Uh, yes. Lavender?"

"Yes. So… how do you know Harry Potter?"

"Oh." She blinked at the sudden question. "He's my cousin."

"You're not a Potter." Lavender stated.

"No. Dursley. Our mum's were sisters."

"Oh!"

"... Yes?"

"Would you mind introducing us?" She asked, and the Patil twins nodded.

"We've just… heard so many stories about him. He's incredible, isn't he?" Padma asked, weaving her long hair into a plait.

Susanna grinned. "He's the best, really. Um, I'm going to unpack." She awkwardly gestured to her trunk, and Lavender jumped.

"Sorry! I'm just, I mean -"

"We're excited." Parvarti finished. "That's all."

"No, it's fine. I'm just tired."

"If you all wouldn't mind, it's late!" Hermione announced from behind her drapes. Lavender made a face while the Patil twins rolled their eyes and snorted, but Susanna nodded in agreement. As Lavender and Padma giggled on the latter's bed and Parvarti went to brush her teeth in the bathroom, Susanna breathed out deeply.

Two hours later she was under her covers, the drapes pulled back and the moonlight shining through the large windows on either side of her bed. Hades snoozed by her head, curled up on her pillow, and Susanna envied the little kitten, because sleep was eluding her. It felt strange, not hearing her brother's and father's loud snoring. They'd been replaced by small breathes and the occasional snorts and mumbles, all far too quiet.

With a grumble of irritation she rolled over to her left, away from her sleeping Hades, and counted the patterns reflected on the floor from the window, the dullness lulling her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Woohoo, we made it! Yes.**

**Alright, first, I hope you all saw her Sorting coming. Personally, I also wrestled with her being in Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Obviously I didn't go for either, as she seemed a bit too Gryffindor for Hufflepuff and I don't think would've found herself fitting in well, even with all the friends. As for Slytherin, well, maybe if she'd been as awful still as her brother, yes, just because she was so self-preserving before her change - again, not all Slytherins are bad, she's just become a different person. Also, consider the fact she's a Muggle-born. While I don't doubt a few members at the time were and totally headcanon other Slytherins keeping them safe during 1997-1998, I also considered who'd be in her year, and that just seemed too rough. **

**Also, not usually a big fan of self-inserting into fics, but this is Harry Potter, and let's be honest we've all dreamed about what our lives would be like if it were all real. One must not tell lies and all that. But, the things Susanna hears her mother and ballet teacher say are close to things I heard when I was her age. Not saying it for pity, but in case anyone says it's not realistic - don't worry, thanks to lots of therapy and time I've gotten better****. Again, be respectful of my writing, especially this chapter. That's all, and I'll see you in the next update! And please, make sure to take care of yourselves.**


	7. The Potions Master

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!**

**Alright, this chapter admittedly took awhile to sit down and write. I forgot how much of a filler it is, even with the Snape stuff, and honestly I just wanted to move onto the next one. I'll probably revise and reupload this chapter later on, but this is the best I could do without burning out. **

**So, in this chapter we have Susanna's first week of classes. She officially meets Snape, so we'll see how that goes, and I also try to assemble a timetable for the Gryffindor first years because what even is the class schedules? Seriously, I looked them up everywhere. How does JK Rowling not have an official one to share with her readers?**

**We get Susanna literally leaping without looking - seriously, she has no sense of self-preservation, it's incredible - and we get to see her really step into the person she'll grow up to be. The Sorting hat put things into perspective for her, which will be discussed in the next chapter, but I can assure you there isn't a big leap in personality change or any OOC OC behavior (lol).**

**An aside: yes, Padma Patil is in Gryffindor. I know in the books she's a Ravenclaw, but I did what I did and I'm committing to it. Also, Cho Chang - in the books she's a year above Harry, but she's also written to be the same year? So I just decided to make her in the same year as Harry and Susanna to cut out that unnecessary confusion for me. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

_"There, look!"_

_"Where?"_

_"Next to the two redheads."_

_"Wearing the glasses?"_

_"Did you see his face?"_

_"Did you see his scar?"_

"You doing alright, Harry?" Susanna asked, the rest of Hogwarts seeming to take it to task to spend the first day of term whispering about her cousin.

"Fine. We knew it'd be overwhelming." Harry muttered.

Susanna looked at Ron, who shrugged. "Yes, well, you'd think the older students would show more tact." She grumbled, and her cousin tugged at a pigtail. "Ouch! _Harry James Potter,_ do that again -"

"And you'll do nothing, because I'm your favorite person." Harry taunted. Susanna grinned and shoved at him.

"Cheeky git. Come on, don't want to run into Peeves."

"Technically he'd just pass through us, right?" Ron wondered, and Susanna shuttered.

"That's _much_ worse." She glared at some older students who had doubled back to get another look at Harry. _He isn't a zoo animal,_ she thought to herself, poking her tongue out at their backs until Harry nudged her side.

"Come on, if we lose sight of the others we'll never make it to Charms."

"Yeah, I'm not too eager to have Peeves grab my nose again."

The trio ran off after the rest of their class, Susanna doing her best to not lose sight of Hermione's bushy hair.

They'd had Herbology with Hufflepuff and History of Magic with Ravenclaw in the morning. The former was more fun than Susanna expected, even if they'd only really took notes on the different plants found in the greenhouses - Professor Sprout had shown them quite a few interesting flora. History of Magic had nearly put Susanna to sleep. Their professor was a ghost, Cuthbert Binns. He'd evidently died in his sleep years before, and continued teaching without realizing he was deceased. Susanna wondered if by now he was playing along with the rumor that he had no idea of the passing, or if he truly remained ignorant of his phantom state.

With lunch over, Charms was next - shared with the first year Ravenclaws once more - and Susanna took her seat in the front row of the parallel long desks, Harry and Ron on either side of her. Professor Flitwick was barely half Susanna's height, and he climbed up onto a large stack of books.

"Let us take roll, shall we?" The black-haired professor squeaked after introductions were made. "Right. Terry Boot." The boy raised her hand, shooting glances over at Harry in interest. Susanna hid a snort behind her hand and added a tally to her journal - she'd been keeping a record of how many times a classmate stared at Harry.

When her name was called she raised her hand, then went back to counting tallies. "Harry Potter. Oh, my!" The professor squeaked, and went tumbling off his books. She winced as he fell, and elbowed Ron when he started laughing too loud, Hermione sending them looks of disbelief at the red-haired boy's blatant disrespect.

Still, Professor Flitwick kept the class interested despite none of the students actually doing magic their first class. He demonstrated different charms and wrote down rules and wand motions that were imperative to remember.

Their last class of the day was Transfiguration, and Susanna felt as though Professor McGonagall could give Madame Dulaine a run for her money when it came to sternness. She welcomed the strict teaching, though, and it was the one class so far she refused to acknowledge her cousin or their friend, busy writing down the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.

"Transfiguration," the professor began, glaring down at them as she stood before the chalkboard, "is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She cleared her throat and pulled out her wand, pointing it at her desk. Susanna watched with wide green eyes as she turned the hard wood into a pig and back again without saying a word. "Now, it will take years before any of you are ready for transfiguring furniture into animals. As such, I hope you have all managed to copy down the exceptions I'd written down. If not, perhaps this will be a lesson in focusing on the subject rather than your friends." She cleared her throat and charmed the eraser into wiping away the aforementioned rules. Susanna sighed when Ron and Harry grumbled over at the desk next to her.

"Honestly." She muttered to herself.

"Did you get it all down?" Hermione asked, sharing her table.

"Oh, yes. Thank you for checking, though." Susanna smiled at the bossy-toned girl, who smiled back.

They spent the first forty minutes of class copying down the Transfiguration alphabet and formula, Susanna wondering for the first time if Dudley would be doing something similar in his math class, before snorting to herself at the thought of her brother taking notes.

The last portion of class was spent learning to transform a match into a needle, as Percy Weasley had told her and Hermione the night before. Susanna's brows furrowed as she concentrated, but still she only managed to give the match a slight metallic shine - it wasn't pointed, though, and she bit her lip in disappointment she hadn't really expected to feel.

The feeling was worsened when Professor McGonagall held up Hermione's. Hers was silver _and_ pointed, and the other Muggle-born girl received a smile from the stern teacher.

"I think yours is coming along brilliantly, Susanna." Hermione whispered as their professor left their table to assist a Hufflepuff.

Susanna blinked in surprise, then smiled at the other girl. "Oh, thanks. It's not as good as yours -"

"Maybe you're just forcing it too much?" Hermione offered.

"Probably." Susanna smiled and shrugged, the green monster inside settling when it realized its efforts wouldn't be appreciated.

Professor McGonagall seemed all-too prepared to send them off with a stack of homework, wishing them all a good day as their final class was dismissed.

"I just find it so interesting that food is the exception, given that you can still summon it." Hermione was saying as they pushed their way through the crowded halls.

"But can't you also enlarge it, too? Whatever you're eating, I mean. Or multiply it, so you have more. Do you think it tastes the same if you do that?" Susanna asked, growing hungrier at the thought of eating.

Hermione hummed. "Possibly. Of course, we won't know for certain until we can do so, but I'd imagine that won't be for years."

"Oi, Susie!" Ron called, and the two girls stopped as her and Harry hurried after them. "You going back to the common room?" He yelled.

"Oh, I was going to -"

"I'm off to the library, Susanna. It was nice talking to you." The redhead girl frowned as Hermione marched away, nose in the air.

"Was she boring you?" Ron asked when he and Harry caught up. Susanna shook her head.

"No, actually. She's nice."

"She's a know-it-all."

"Ron, you don't even -" Before Susanna could finish defending the girl, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan burst out from around the corner.

"None of you saw a thing!" Fred or George yelled as they raced past, Mr. Filch the caretaker hot on their heels with his cat Mrs. Norris right behind him.

"Mum's going to kill them." Ron mumbled, looking a touch too gleeful. Susanna rolled her eyes and Harry laughed.

"Come on, we have too much homework to ignore."

"It's the first day of term, this is just bloody insane." Ron grumbled, Susanna nodding in agreement.

"Cheer up, you two. We've got dinner to look forward to." Harry told them, an arm over each shoulder as they made their way to the Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Much to Susanna's chagrin, her own reservations about Professor Quirrell as a teacher were indeed correct. The next morning she found herself in a room that smelt completely like garlic, the twins later telling her it was to ward off a vampire the professor had met in Romania the year before. They also told their little brother and the two cousins that he'd been the Muggle Studies professor before his year-sabbatical, furthering Susanna's concern about their teacher. She wasn't quite sure she believed Professor Quirrell when he told the class of Gryffindors and Slytherins that he'd gotten his turban from a thankful African prince. He mentioned something about a zombie, and Susanna wondered if perhaps he'd watched too many films as a child. His story's validity certainly wasn't helped when Seamus Finnigan asked to know more and Professor Quirrell began talking about the weather, his cheeks as pink as her father's face.

The Weasley twins also told Susanna, Ron, and Harry that the foul smell from the turban was more garlic, so the professor would remain safe. Susanna found that particular rumor to be believable - Professor Quirrell always checked the corners of the room as he taught, as though expecting something to creep out at him from the shadows.

"I think I'd rather have History of Magic right about now." Ron mumbled to the cousins, who nodded in agreement. Susanna pat Harry's hand, knowing he'd been most looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
When Professor Quirrell dismissed them, Susanna stood and waited for her cousin and friend to finish packing up their work. A flash of silver-blonde hair caught her eye, and she turned to see Draco strutting past, Goyle and Crabbe following him along with some dewy-eyed girl with a flat face and short black hair.

"Come on, Suze. We've got Herbology." Harry tugged at her elbow, and Susanna let him and Ron pull her in the opposite direction of the Malfoy boy.

Her first week of lessons passed by far quicker than she imagined they would, especially once she got used to where the classrooms were. She even began to look forward to sitting with Hermione - the girl had a habit of constantly lecturing whoever was closest, but she was still nice enough to make sure Susanna woke up on time and was taking enough notes in class.

As the girl suspected, the only class she was truly abhorrent in was Astronomy. Shared with Ravenclaws from midnight to 1:15 am, Susanna found herself dozing off within the first five minutes, much to the pleasure of Harry and Ron, who took turns attempting to draw on her star charts. She'd gone straight to bed after class, Hades curled on her stomach.

Finally, it was Friday morning. The Gryffindors only had one class that day; double Potions, with Slytherin.

"Snape's Head of Slytherin House." Ron told the cousins as he stirred his porridge, Susanna tearing into a strip of bacon while taking careful bites of some cut fruit. He watched her warily, Harry spooning some scrambled eggs onto the redhead girl's plate in an effort to have her eat more. "They say he always favors them - we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us." Harry grumbled as he spooned some porridge into his mouth.

"Hope he's a better teacher than Quirrell." Susanna muttered, and she watched as the owls began to fly into the Great Hall. "Oh look, mail. Wonder if mum and dad sent us something." She said to Harry, sarcasm leaking out of his pores. He rolled his eyes but smiled. His grin grew when Hedwig landed in front of him, a note tied to her leg. For the previous four days she'd flown in with the others, but only to nibble at Harry's ear and eat some toast.

Harry eagerly removed the note from her grasp and tore it open, showing Susanna the messy scrawl when he was done reading.

**Dear Harry and Susanna,**

**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.**

**Hagrid**

"Ron, you should come, too. Hagrid's great!" Susanna told the other redhead as Harry scribbled a response, sending his note off with Hedwig. "Do you think Hagrid would mind?" She asked her cousin, who shrugged.

"I don't think so."

"Good. You're coming. I'm not leaving a fellow redhead behind." Susanna joked, and Ron grinned.

They finished breakfast, Susanna growing more nervous with each bite. She'd been most worried about Potions all summer, and everything she'd heard about their instructor hadn't helped her nerves. What if she was absolutely horrid at it and blew up her cauldron? What if she was really good but Professor Snape just didn't care and refused to see it?

They made their way to the dungeon with the other Gryffindors and Slytherins, arms ladened with their pewter cauldrons and bags full of potion kits. Susanna was uncharacteristically silent as they walked, and she had the distinct feeling they were all marching to their doom.

The Potions classroom was dark and damp, the air cold. Susanna shivered under her cloak, and was eager to start class if not to stand over a hot cauldron for over two hours.

Susanna was busy staring at the jars of pickled dead animals when the door behind her swung open dramatically, banging against the wall as it slammed closed. She watched as the tall man from the feast with greasy black hair and vampiric pale skin walked to the front of the room and up some steps onto a platform. His long black cloak billowed behind him as he moved, then spun to face the classroom. Everyone fell silent, and the students watched with bated breath as Professor Snape began their first lesson. Like Professor Flitwick, he pulled out a scroll to take attendance. Unlike with Professor Flitwick, the Gryffindors all seemed hesitant to answer the intimidating man, only raising their hand when called on - even a few Slytherin looked afraid of their Head of House.

"Susanna Dursley."

"Here, sir." She answered distractedly, not realizing until a second later that she'd actually given a verbal response. She felt her cheeks grow red as she lowered her hand.

Professor Snape just watched her for a moment, then continued on as if she'd never said a thing.

"Ah, yes." The man sneered, and Susanna watched as he set black eyes on her cousin. "Harry Potter. Our new… _celebrity__._" Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all snickered behind their hands, and Susanna caught their professor sending Draco a fond look.

Susanna - on the other hand - glared up at their professor far more intensely than she thought. Harry had told her he thought the man disliked him, but it appeared her cousin was wrong. No, Professor Snape already seemed to hate him.

He finished roll call, then placed his scroll on his desk. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making." His voice was barely louder than a whisper, and was the deepest she'd ever heard. Like Professor McGonagall, his words demanded silence from the class. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, _ensnaring_ the senses… I can teach you how to _bottle_ fame, brew glory, even _stopper_ death - if you aren't as big a bunch of _dunderheads_ as I usually have to teach." Empty black eyes glared around the class, and Susanna made an offended face.

_Dunderheads?_

Beside her, Hermione seemed to straighten like a marionette, clearly eager to prove herself. Susanna exchanged raised eyebrows with her cousin and Ron.

"Potter!" Susanna jumped when Professor Snape suddenly called her cousin's name, far louder than she expected him to. He hadn't been doing anything wrong - in fact he was actually taking notes - so what could their professor possibly want? "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione's hand shot up in the air while Harry paused in thought. Oh, Susanna hummed to herself, I know that.

"I don't know, sir." Harry responded before Susanna could write down the answer for him.

Professor Snape sneered. "Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." The man ignored Hermione's raised hand. "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?

**_The stomach of a goat._** Susanna wrote down for Harry, but Professor Snape's eyes latched onto her before she could show her cousin the answer. He sent her a blood curdling glare and Susanna gulped, the look even more dangerous than any her father had given her.

Hermione's hand stretched to the sky and Susanna rolled her eyes. _He won't call on you,_ she wanted to tell her,_ not with how focused he is on Harry. __So make him focus on you, _she told herself, watching as Harry began to curl in on himself, cheeks turning red and fists clenching like the would when her father goaded him.

"I don't know."

Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe's shoulders shook with mirth. Susanna felt her whole body vibrating with rage as Professor Snape smirked proudly down his large nose at Harry. "Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter? What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Hermione stood up, jumping up and down with her hand raised to the dungeon ceiling.

Harry frowned, hand shaking. "I don't -"

"They're the same thing, aren't they?" Susanna interrupted her cousin, all eyes now on her. "And a bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat, right? It's in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. Interesting read, yeah, but a little boring. It's all very clinically written, wouldn't you say? I do have a question, though - Phyllida Spore also wrote about dittany. Does it only ever heal wounds, or could it be used to counter poisons if a bezoar stone isn't available?" She asked their professor. He seemed to have stopped breathing for a moment. "Sorry, I meant to raise my hand, I'm just eager for an answer."

Professor Snape stalked towards her, but she refused to blink or show any weakness, not if it meant Harry would once more be in his line of fire. "You think yourself brave, girl? You think you're smarter than the rest of the class? Perhaps you're nothing more than a showoff. Sit down, Granger." Professor Snape ordered the other Muggle-born, who took her seat.

"No, I don't, sir."

"Don't what? Think yourself brave, or smarter than your classmates?"

"Sir, I just want to know what's more useful, dittany or bezoar? That's why we're here, right, to learn?"

"Susanna, _stop._" Harry whispered to her, his redhead cousin not looking away from their professor.

Professor Snape's gaze focused on her cousin, and Susanna groaned internally. _Idiot, I'm trying to protect you,_ she thought in heavy frustration.

"What, Potter? Can't handle the attention being on someone else for a change, even if that person is your cousin?" He hissed at the boy. "Still, perhaps arrogance runs in the family." Professor Snape glared at her.

"Sir? What's more useful, dittany or bezoar?" Susanna urged again, speaking with a hand raised.

"That's rather like comparing apples to oranges, as they do different things. Dittany does not cure poisons, only heals open wounds. If one is suffering from a poisoned cut you'd need to first make sure they are given an antidote." Professor Snape's cold black eyes moved from one green pair to the other, his glare now focused on Harry. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. As your cousin so rudely stated, a bezoar is indeed a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant which goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying it down?" Professor Snape hissed to the rest of the class. Everyone picked up their quills and hastily copied down the information they'd been told, Susanna writing with a shaking hand.

"What were you thinking?" Ron asked her, voice barely above a whisper.

At the front of the classroom, Professor Snape cleared his throat. "And two points will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter and Ms. Dursley."

Hermione clucked her tongue angrily and Susanna withheld the urge to growl at her. That urge only intensified when they were partnered and Hermione spent the time passive-aggressively lecturing her for what had transpired.

"I just think that perhaps if you were more respectful of Professor Snape, our points would have remained intact." She snootily told the redhead while stirring their stewed horned slugs . Susanna rolled her eyes as she crushed their snake fangs.

"If you use any more force your snake fangs will become a fine powder. Control yourself, Ms. Dursley." Professor Snape told her as he passed by their station.

"Yes, Professor Snape." Susanna muttered in response.

"Perhaps I should do it." Hermione offered, though her tone suggested it wasn't done out of friendship.

"Everyone, your attention please." Their professor cut in, standing in front of Draco's cauldron. The blonde was showing off a smug smile, pride shining in his and Professor Snape's cold eyes. "While the rest of your efforts have been abysmal at best, Mr. Malfoy has stewed his horned slugs perfectly. Ten points to Slytherin, for your -"

A loud hissing filled the classroom, and Susanna looked over with the others. Poor Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron, acid green smoke billowing from the twisted blob of metal. Their potion was rolling off the desk and across the floor, burning holes into people's shoes. "Hermione, the desk, go!" Susanna ordered, shoving Ron and Harry up as well. Neville's whimpers of pain caught her attention, and she bolted onto Ron and Harry's desk to carefully leap onto Neville's, barely managing to keep her balance.

He was drenched in the potion, angry red boils raging over his legs, arms, and even his nose.

"Oh, Neville, it's going to be -"

"Ms. Dursley, what do you think you're doing?" Professor Snape admonished her as she yelped and hopped away from a bit of potion threatening to eat away at her shoes. Susanna was unable to answer, as he immediately focused his attention on Neville. "Idiot boy!" He snarled, and waved the mess away with the flick of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered. "Take him to the hospital wing!" Professor Snape snapped at Seamus, who nodded wordlessly and helped the crying boy out of the classroom.

"Wait, I can -"

"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?" Professor Snape cut Susanna off before she could offer to follow Neville and Seamus with their bags. His focus was on Harry. "Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor. Everyone, off the desks and get back to work!" He ordered, but paused his movements to turn back to the red-haired girl. "Were you injured in your daring rescue, Ms. Dursley?" His tone was heavy with sarcasm, but there was also something else lingering.

"Uh, no. No, sir."

"Then return to your cauldron." He snapped, walking away to survey the damage.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered when Susanna returned to their cauldron. "That was quite the leap."

"I've had practice. Ballet." The redhead explained. "The pink tights were torture, but at least lessons were good for something.

"Talking isn't _working_, Ms. Dursley." Snape snarked, passing by their desk and sending their cauldron a mildly interested look. "Close enough for a student more interested in gossip."

Class ended with a scoffing Professor Snape declaring most but a rare few proving to be just the same as the other students he'd taught - lazy and distracted. He showed them where to store their belongings and dismissed them with a two-foot essay on the importance of adding porcupine quills after removing the cauldron from heat.

"I have a couple of questions to ask him. If you run into Seamus and Neville, tell them I have their bags." Susanna told Harry and Ron.

"You won't antagonize him, right?" Ron asked. "He always takes points from Gryffindor - most of them because of Fred and George - but just don't give him a reason."

"Relax. I'll be perfectly well behaved."

"Oh. Great." Harry muttered sarcastically, whisking Ron away. Hermione sent Susanna a look as she began to leave their desk.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to leave him be?"

"No."

"Well, if you cost us more points, don't expect us to be pleased." She snootily marched away and Susanna sighed, nervously pulling on the ends of her left pigtail.

"Ms. Dursley, I dismissed you." Professor Snape glared down at the redhead, and she caught Draco watching them in interest before commande Goyle and Crabbe to follow him to lunch. "Linger any longer, and all the food will be gone."

"I'm sorry I was so rude." She says, and the man blinks, face frozen mid-sneer. "But…"

"Well?" The man unfroze. "If you cannot piece together whatever excuse you are concocting, perhaps you should leave. I have other matters to attend to."

"I know, I know, just… Harry and I studied together sir, for a whole month. He just didn't expect to be…" she watched the man frown, "I mean he…"

"Yes, Ms. Dursley?"

"My cousin was paying attention, sir. He was taking notes before you noticed him. You can check my mind, if you have to. I'm sure there's a truth spell, right?"

Professor Snape continued to frown at her, thin lips forming an unimpressed expression. "It doesn't matter, Ms. Dursley. His attitude afterwards was unbecoming of a boy of his status, though perhaps not unexpected."

"Sir, _please_. He wasn't doing anything wrong. I swear." Susanna tried again, tone forceful but as respectful as she could make it.

"Quit your begging, Ms. Dursley." The man growled down at her, but she refused to flinch back.

She sighed. "It's more 'pleading' than begging, Professor Snape. I just don't want you judging Harry before you actually know him. He's nothing like you suggested - I would know, we've lived together for eleven years."

There was a long, drawn out moment of silence. Susanna could hear every little sound the room was making, from the boiling cauldron at Snape's desk to some water dripping onto the floor. Finally, the man nodded, face blank and eyes cold. "I believe you have some belongings to return to your classmate, Ms. Dursley. You should leave before they come looking for them." Susanna nodded and began to turn, Neville's and Seamus's bags over one shoulder. "And five points will be added to Gryffindor."

She stopped and looked up at her professor, head tilted in confusion. "Oh. Thank you, sir. Why?"

"_Get. To. Your. Classmates__._" He ordered. She nodded and jumped.

"Right, sorry. Thank you!" She called over her shoulder, running out of the room and bumping straight into two boys.

"Sorry, Susanna." Seamus apologized, helping her straighten. "We were just coming back to grab our bags. Class was dismissed, yeah?"

"Yes. Here, I have them. How are you, Neville?"

The round-faced boy shrugged bashfully as he accepted his bag. His skin was red, but the angry boils were absent. "I'm alright. Madam Pomfrey fixed me right up. I just… I don't know how to face Professor Snape again."

Susanna looked to the closed door behind her and began leading Neville and Seamus away. "Well, we have a week to figure that out, Neville. Come on, if we don't hurry Ron'll have eaten all the chicken!"

"You can tell us what we missed. Do you think Harry'll let me borrow his owl? I need to tell me mam I need a new cauldron."

"I'm sorry, Seamus."

"Don't worry, Neville. I'd have probably blown it up anyway next week. Me dad says I've got a talent for setting fires. Drives me mam up the wall, especially after I exploded the toaster." Seamus explained, and Susanna laughed as they walked away from the dungeons, an arm over each boys' shoulders.

* * *

Five minutes to three that afternoon, Harry and Ron whisked Susanna away from her studies to visit Hagrid. She hadn't told them about the gained five points, having been unsure whether or not she heard Professor Snape correctly. If she did get Gryffindor five points, great. If she hadn't - that's six points she lost her house in one day.

Hagrid lived in a large, misshapen hut just off the edge of the grounds, right next to the elusive forbidden forest. For the giant's protection - hopefully - there was a pair of galoshes and a crossbow leaning on one of the the brick walls.

Harry knocked on the large door, and all three Gryffindors jumped when loud barks boomed out at them. "Back, Fang, back!" Hagrid ordered just as he opened the door. He thrust back one large hand to grab onto a fierce black boarhound's collar. "Hang on." He told his three visitors. "Back, Fang!"

Susanna walked in after the two boys and looked around. Hagrid's hut was only one room, with hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling. A massive bed covered in a worn quilt was pushed to one side, opposite a crowded kitchen with a window looking at the forest and pumpkin patch. There was a small round table in another corner, with two booth seats. A lumpy couch and three large plush chairs were placed next to the roaring fireplace, a small table in the middle of the arrangement.

"Go on, sit down, sit down. Make yerselves at home." Hagrid smiled kindly, gesturing to the seats. Harry and Ron shared the couch while Susanna hopped up onto one of the large chairs, feet hanging well-above the floor.

Hagrid released Fang in favor of pulling on some oven mitts to remove a copper kettle from the open fire. The dog bounded to Ron first, licking at his ears and drooling on his robes.

"Hagrid, this is Ron Weasley." Harry introduced the giant to the redhead boy, the former of whom was carefully pouring the boiling water into a large teapot.

"Another Weasley, eh?" The giant asked, smiling kindly at Ron as he plated some rock cakes. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

"I could believe that." Susanna responded, and Hagrid chuckled.

"Mind yeh, if I hadn' known yer las' name, I would've thought yeh were one, too."

Susanna let out a fake gasp of offence. "Hagrid. Not all redheads look alike."

"Yeh're keepin' her away from the twins, right?" Hagrid asked, watching the girl warily. Ron and Harry nodded. "Good. They're enough trouble." He brought over a large tray, pouring each of his visitors a cup of tea and offering a rock cake. They were large and shapeless, the kids nearly breaking their teeth as they bit them. While the boys pretended to enjoy the snacks, Susanna discreetly dipped her cake into her cream-and-two-sugars tea, letting it soften before taking a bite. She balanced her tea cup on one thigh while Fangs took ownership of her other, drooling onto her leg as she rubbed behind his ears. She hoped Hades wouldn't run from her when she returned to her dorm.

"- and then Mr. Filch nearly dragged us all to the dungeons, but Professor Quirrell saved us." Ron told the giant, and Hagrid snorted meanly.

"That old git. Don' yeh three pay him no mind." He told them with a kind smile. "An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Filch puts her up to it."

"Filch isn't as bad as Professor Snape. He hates me, Hagrid, and I don't know why." Harry muttered, rubbing at his forehead.

Hagrid made a face. "Codswallop. It's nothin' personal, Harry. Snape just doesn' like most students."

Harry shook his head. "But he seemed to really hate me." Susanna nodded in agreement.

"Rubbish! Why should he?" Hagrid denied, but he didn't exactly look Harry in the eyes.

"It's true. He really has it out for Harry."

"And you, now. Probably, after the stunt you pulled in class." Harry pointed out, and Susanna poked her tongue out at him.

"What stunt?"

"She interrupted him when he was questioning me." Harry told.

"I wouldn't have had to if he'd left you alone." Susanna shrugged, and Hagrid eyed her curiously.

"What did he do?"

"Took away a point, but…"

"But?" Ron asked when she trailed off, and Susanna cleared her throat.

"No detention. And he answered my question."

"Hm." Hagrid looked at her, then turned to Ron. "So, how's yer brother Charlie? I like him a lot - great with animals."

"He's good. He's in Romania right now, working with dragons. I saw him for a week this past summer."

Susanna tried to listen on, but Harry poked her in the arm. She jolted, some tea spilling on her robe and Fang whimpering.

"_Suze, look._" He hissed at her, showing her a cutting from the Daily Prophet.

"_What - oh. No way._" She whispered back, reading along with the article.

**_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_**

_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied that same day._

_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you." Said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._

"Hagrid!" Harry interrupted the giant and Ron, having been reading over Susanna's shoulder. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

"Interstin'. Another rock cake, Harry?" Hagrid offered, passing him the plate. He didn't meet either cousins' eyes, and he was quick enough to return to his conversation with Ron.

"Hagrid emptied vault 713, right? That was the one we went to." Susanna asked Harry quietly, and he nodded.

"Yeah. But it was just that one package."

"Still… it's…"

"Yeah. Strange."

"Suspicious." Susanna nodded, before Hagrid asked how she was doing in class.

It was near-dusk when the trio left the hut and made their way to the castle. They were weighed down by pocketfuls of Hagrid's rock cakes, which Susanna had found delicious once she was able to bite into them.

"You think Hagrid's hiding something?" She asked Harry as Ron began thinking out loud about dinner.

"I'm not sure. All I know is I've got more questions about our visit than I did after Potions." Her cousin said. Susanna hummed in agreement, before she and Harry were pulled into Ron's food discussion. Questions, it seemed, would have to just have to wait.

* * *

**Phew, made it.**

**If anyone's confused by Snape's behavior, I'll clarify it all right now:**

**Keep in mind that Susanna looks a lot like Lily - they aren't identical, but anyone who knew the late Mrs. Potter would do a double-take if they saw Susanna. So you can imagine all the emotions Severus is going through when he sees her, especially with the relationship he had with Lily. I won't be writing him as obviously favoring Susanna because that'd also be too revealing of his character - any truly positive acknowledgment will occur much further in the story, so we have awhile before we get there. The reason why he didn't throw Susanna out of the classroom when she was admittedly disrespectful is because he saw Lily's protective nature in her, and it threw him off-guard. He wasn't expecting it, especially because he knows she's Petunia's daughter and there's no love lost there. There'll be a deeper dive into all this later as well, but I just wanted to clarify what I was aiming for in this chapter if it wasn't clear enough.**


	8. The Midnight Duel

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!**

**Okay, I know, it's been awhile. I hope everyone's keeping safe in these crazy times, and that this chapter distracts you all for a little bit. These are mad times we live in! Mad!**

**Alright, moving on...**

**As suggested from the title of the chapter, this update covers "The Midnight Duel" (_dun, dun, duunnnnnn!_) We've got the first Flying lesson, Draco being a tool, Crabbe and Goyle cracking their knuckles like stereotypical henchmen. Hades is adorable and clever, Susanna is completely over Hermione's attitude, and the twins and Lee Jordan prepare to adopt a trouble-making first year. **

**We also have Pansy, who says a not-nice word to Susanna. I think we can all guess what that would be, so be prepared for that situation. I didn't want Draco to be the first person who called her that, but Pansy felt like the better choice anyway, especially with the two girls' relationship as the story progresses.**

**In regard to the relationship between Hermione and Susanna, they're not going to get along in this chapter, so prepare for that. Susanna is mean, but nowhere as cruel as she would've been had she and Harry never bonded. They do have a couple of tiny moments, but the friendship really blossoms in the next chapter. It should be up within the next few days, now that my work schedule is currently non-existent. **

**Also, please read the notes at the end of the chapter!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

"I can't believe you thought he was cute." Harry kicked at Susanna's shin as they watched Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle enter the Great Hall, sneering at a couple of Ravenclaws and laughing at a flustered Hufflepuff first year. It was barely 7:40 in the morning, and the once-pleasant seeming boy was already terrorizing his classmates.

"I didn't! I just thought he was _nice._" Susanna argued, glaring at the boy with silver-blonde hair.

"Your face was as red as your hair!" Ron chortled, yelping when a roll went sailing across the table and hit him in the center of her forehead.

"No it wasn't." She argued, ducking when he threw a roll in retaliation. It smacked against the brick wall behind her and she laughed at the other redhead's disappointed pout.

"I can't believe we have to take our Flying lessons with the Slytherins. It's bad enough we share Potions and Defense with them." Harry grumbled. "I mean, it's just typical. I've been looking forward to learning to fly, only now I'll be making a fool of myself on a broom in front of Malfoy."

"Yes, well, you don't have the whole 'muggles for parents' situation to worry about, do you?" Susanna glared over at the Slytherin table.

"Oh, cheer up Harry. You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself. Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk!"

"Exactly." Susanna put on a smile. "Nearly every story he's ever boasted about ends with him narrowly escaping helicopters. It was barely believable the first time!" She reminded her cousin, who grinned in acknowledgement. "Besides, if anyone's going to make a fool of themselves on a broom, it's me. I'm clumsy even standing still!"

"Not when you're dancing."

"Yes. On solid ground." She sassed at Harry, who rolled his eyes. "Remember that time I rolled down the hill? I was lucky the scar ended up being so small." She tilted up her chin to the boys, showing off the tiny white line under her bottom lip. Ron made a face.

"How'd that happen?"

"It was an accident." Her ears turned red and Ron snorted, looking to Harry for the truth.

Susanna made an offended noise as Harry laughed. "Her best friends at the time dared her to climb into a tire while they pushed her down the hill. She didn't even hesitate, she just got in. The tire rolled over this big rock and the girls lost control, and she just kept going down the hill by herself."

"Mum yelled at me for a while." Susanna added, remembering how her mother's voice seemed to shake the hospital room walls, Harry holding his ears while Dudley held her hand. "That scared me way more than the needle. Of course, dad made me feel better after. He took me to London the next day…" She trailed off, her heart growing cold as she slipped down memory lane. "Well, mum never let me hang out with my friends alone after that. A few years later it didn't even matter."

"Why not?" Ron asked. Susanna and Harry exchanged looks, and Susanna bit her bottom lip.

"You know, people just… grow apart sometimes…"

"- of course, I read all about it in _Quidditch Through the Ages__._ Kennilworthy Whisp provided quite an astonishing bit of research. He wrote all about the earlier broomsticks, as well as the development of racing brooms. The first recorded use of flying broomsticks was around 962 AD, you know. Although, he also wrote it was an uncomfortable mode of transportation at the time."

Susanna sighed heavily as Hermione's voice traveled down from the middle of the Gryffindor table to the end where the trio were sitting. She looked over and noticed only Neville seemed to be hanging onto her every word, their other housemates rolling their eyes or doing their best to ignore the girl.

"At it again, is she? She's only been quoting the book for what, four days?"

"Five." She responded to Ron. "Not to mention all the evenings she's spent lecturing us on listening to her, lest we be 'unprepared and lose our house more points'."

"Why do I sense that last bit was directed towards you?" Harry asked, and Susanna stuck her tongue out at him.

"I only lost the one point! And I gained five back!"

"When?"

Susanna paused. _Oops._ "Oh, I just, you know, did a noble thing - oh look, mail." She pointed to the sky as the owls swooped in. Hedwig came bearing only her personality as usual, Susanna and Harry both giving her some food and petting her feathers carefully. The owl nipped softly at Susanna's fingers before hooting at Harry for attention.

"How do you even manage to sleep with Granger spouting facts in your ears at all times?" Ron asked, mouth full of eggs and tomatoes.

Susanna wrinkled her nose. "I mostly cover my ears with my pillow and hope for the best. Occasionally Hades hisses at her to be quiet. She's not horrible, though… just… a bit much, sometimes."

_The old Susanna would've laughed and teased her,_ she thought to herself. _The old Susanna would've spread horrible rumors about her, and said horrible things to her face, and made sure everyone knew just how strange she was._

"She's not as bad as Lavender and Parvati. They stay up for hours clucking like hens about whichever boy they like at that moment." Susanna pretended to gag. Ron snorted and Harry rolled his eyes at her dramatics, jumping when she kicked him in the shin.

Neither Harry nor herself had received a letter since Hagrid's. Susanna looked around enviously as her classmates tore open parcels from the families, filled with sweets and little gifts. Even the students who only received letters looked happy. Would something like that ever happen for her and Harry?

She was stolen from her musing when a large barn owl swooped past her to land in front of Neville. The round-faced boy excitedly tore open his little gift, grinning from ear-to-ear as he held up a glass ball full of white smoke. "My gran sent me a Remembrall!" He exclaimed, showing it off to those closest. "She knows I forget things. This tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh…" He trailed off, the Remembrall's white smoke turning red. "I've forgotten something." But as he tried to remember just what he'd forgotten, a pale hand snattched the ball from Neville's hand.

Draco stood by the Gryffindor table, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. He tossed the Remembrall in the air cockily, smirking down at Neville. Harry, Ron, and Susanna all stood. "Nice gift, Longbottom." The boy teased, his two goons laughing stupidly behind him.

"What are you even doing over here? Your table's on the other side of the Great Hall!" Susanna gestured over to where the Slytherins were sitting.

"Just paying my fellow classmates a visit, Dursley. Interesting last name. I've never heard of any other Dursleys before. Tell me, which of your parents is a witch or wizard? Potter wouldn't have only been left with _muggles,_ right?" The girl's eyebrows pinched together in confusion, mouth in a line at how cruelly Draco Malfoy was speaking to her.

"What did I tell you, Malfoy? You don't look at _or_ speak to Susanna." Harry glared at the blonde, who glowered back. He couldn't respond, though, as Professor McGonagall had approached her house's table.

"What is going on?" She glared down at the students. Draco scowled.

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, professor." Neville told her, shaking at the thought of a confrontation. The blonde returned it promptly, setting it down hard on the table. Susanna was surprised it hadn't broken. "Just looking." With sloped shoulders he marched away, Crabbe and Goyle close behind him. Susanna watched them leave with tense shoulders, and her cousin reached across the table to take her wrist.

"Suze, it's okay. Come on, we still have time before Charms."

She nodded at Harry's words and sat down, but the delicious food couldn't distract her from the building dread.

* * *

Susanna stretched her arms up to the sky as she, her cousin, and Ron left the castle. Defense class had been as boring as the previous five they had, and she was sure her notes were a combination of useless scribbles and unintelligible notes. What were they even learning about? Trolls? Vampires?

Nevertheless, she was excited to at least be outside, enjoying the fresh air. She was less excited about attending her first flying lesson, especially knowing it'd be with the Slytherins. Susanna hadn't been so afraid of humiliating herself since Madame Dulaine had her play Clara for last year's nutcracker, and her family actually attended.

"Hey, where's your usual confidence, Suze? I thought you'd be leaping at the chance to get to fly on a broom!" Harry asked her, his unruly hair ruffled by the cool breeze.

"I'd be more excited if we were doing it with Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff."

"Is this about what Malfoy said?" Harry asked her, and Susanna glared.

"That pompous git has no effect on me whatsoever. I don't care what he thinks about me!" Susanna marched ahead, nose in the air. She didn't notice Ron and Harry laughing behind her. Nor did she figure out the trick Harry had pulled on her; he knew the only way to really inspire her was to first push her in the direction of spiting her offender.

The boys caught up to the furious girl as they walked past the courtyard to a large field behind one castle wall. The forbidden forest could be seen in the distance, the dark trees swaying ominously.

The Slytherins had already arrived, somehow beating the Gryffindors to the practice field. Susanna squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as the green-and-silver house jeered at the house of lions. Draco in particular had a smug look on his face, one she countered with a scowl reminiscent of her childhood.

Once she felt she'd glared sufficiently enough, Susanna looked down at the twenty school brooms. Fred and George Weasley had complained about the night before, letting Ron and his two friends know just how old and worn they were. The twins had also told the three first years that some of them would vibrate if you went too high, or always listed slightly to the left. Indeed, she found herself concerned she'd be pulling splinters out of her hands for a month after using one of the brooms.

A woman cleared her throat, marching up to the students in billowing robes. Her hair was white and spiky, her eyes as yellow as a hawk's, with tiny slits in the irises. She surveyed her students, as openly unimpressed as Professor Snape.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Madam Hooch barked at them. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Susanna immediately walked up to the closest broom, the handle worryingly bent. She gulped, then looked to the left, where Harry was standing. His was possibly older than hers, the twigs at the end angled oddly. The other students filed around them, forming two lines that faced each other.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up!'" Madam Hooch ordered, standing at the front of the parallel rows, hands clasped behind her back.

"UP!" Everyone shouted, hands out and over their brooms. Susanna's hovered briefly in the air, but stopped before it could reach her hand, her eyes worriedly focused on the handle. She let it fall back to the ground after her first try, and breathed in deeply. She remembered climbing trees with Harry, and thought to herself, _this isn't so different. The broom's as dented and bent as the branches in the park. It's okay._

She exhaled and smiled. "Up!" She commanded, and the broom flew into her hand. She stopped herself from jumping around happily, and instead settled on grinning widely and watching her fellow classmates. Harry's broom had shot up immediately, his eyes wide behind round glasses. Hermione's rolled around on the ground, the girl flustered by either failure or fear. Neville's hadn't even moved, and Ron's smacked him in the nose before finally rising into his hand, getting a laugh from Harry. As with Harry, Draco's broom followed his command without problem, and the blonde clenched it smugly in his hands. After a few tries Crabbe and Goyle also had theirs. Susanna watched in amusement when Pansy Parkinson's broom flounced around uselessly, the girl shrieking in frustration. She'd been particularly rude to Neville and Hermione, and Susanna thought it was only fitting she was on equal footing as them.

Once everyone had a battered broom in their hand, Madam Hooch demonstrated how to mount them. Susanna carefully climbed onto her piece of wood, making sure to hold the handle exactly like their teacher had shown. She couldn't stop herself from smirking when she overheard Madam Hooch telling Draco he'd been doing it wrong all his life. Her cousin and friend laughed, and the Malfoy boy glared at them intensely. It didn't deter their humor.

Madam Hooch returned to her spot at the front of the two lines, whistle in hand. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." She told them, voice clipped with authority. She reminded Susanna of Madame Dulaine, if the latter was British rather than French. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle. Three… two -"

But before she could finish her countdown, Neville pushed off the ground. He'd been nervous and jumpy before, but Susanna had hoped he'd relaxed. Clearly she was wrong.

"Come back, boy!" Madam Hooch shouted.

"Neville!" Susanna called over their teacher, watching in horror as the boy shot up like a rocket heading to the moon, corkscrewing into the air. There was nothing she could do, only stand on the ground and watch the round-faced Gryffindor gasp and scream until eventually he lost grip of his broom and fell to ground with a sickening crash.

She rushed to the boy with Harry and Ron beside her, the rest of their classmates already crowding curiously around Neville and a tutting Madam Hooch. "Oh dear, a broken wrist. Come on boy, it's alright - up you get." She turned to face the rest of the class as she helped the crying student up. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! Understand? You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear." Madam Hooch whisked the hobbling Neville away, leaving her class behind.

They had barely disappeared when Draco began laughing cruelly, reminding Susanna of Piers Polkiss. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins laughed with the Malfoy boy.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Parvati snapped at the blonde.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati!" Pansy sneered.

"Oh shut up Parkinson, you're not as important as you think!" Susanna shot back at the hard-faced girl.

Pansy Parkinson narrowed her cold eyes. "Oh, that's cute. Dursley thinks I care about her opinion." She stepped forward, her face in Susanna's. "You don't deserve to be here, _mudblood__._" The girl whispered, unheard by the others.

Susanna tilted her head, about to ask what the other girl meant by "mudblood" when Draco rushed past the group.

"Look!" He held up the glinting Remembrall. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him!"

"Give that here, Malfoy!" Harry stepped forward, voice quiet but hard.

Draco smiled nastily. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about… up a tree?"

"Draco, you absolute git!"

"Give it _here!_" Susanna and Harry shouted at the same time, but the blonde paid them no mind as he jumped onto his broom and took off. Much to the cousins' chagrin, he was indeed an excellent flyer. In complete control of his worn broomstick, the boy hovered lazily over the topmost branches of an old oak tree. He leaned forward with a sly grin.

"Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom and Susanna copied him, ready to help her cousin. "No!" Hermione shrieked, and the other girl jumped at the shrill volume. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble!" They ignored her, though, and Harry mounted his broom before kicking off. Susanna almost did the same, but her broomstick was snatched from her hand and a bushy-haired brunette was glaring at her almost as dangerously as Professor Snape when he stares at Harry. "I said no! Honestly, Susanna, you have to learn to think before acting! You and your cousin are going to lose us more points!" Hermione shouted at her. Susanna felt her rage building as her cousin soared in the air, fighting his own battle.

"I'd rather lose points than Harry, Hermione!" Susanna roared back, nearly shoving the girl in her anger before Ron caught her.

"Easy, come on." He whispered in her ear, yanking her away from the other Muggle-born. Hermione's eyes were wide with fear, having not expected that kind of response from her housemate. "Look, he's chasing it!" Ron distracted his friend, and Susanna looked to the sky.

Harry shot through the air like a bolt of lightning, eye on the prize that was Neville's stolen Remembrall. It was shooting down toward the ground, and Susanna screamed in terror as Harry flew after it at break-neck speed. She threw her hands out - just as she'd done when they were nine and he was thrown from the roof - just as he leveled his broom straight, landing carefully on the grass with the Remembrall clenched victoriously in his hand.

As her fellow Gryffindors rush forward to congratulate her cousin, Susanna covers her face with her hands in an effort to hide her tears.

"Crying, _mudblood?_" Pansy whispers in her ears, but before the redhead could react, someone roars her cousin's name.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Professor McGonagall was running towards them, hands holding her emerald robes so she wouldn't trip. Her face was far more stern than Susanna had witnessed, and she seemed to be in a state of shock. In fact, she was practically speechless as she stammered over her furious lecture. "_Never_ \- in all my time at Hogwarts - how _dare_ you - might have broken your neck -"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor -" Susanna's voice escaped her subconsciously.

"Be _quiet_, Ms. Dursley!" Professor McGonagall interrupted her.

"But Malfoy -"

"That's _enough,_ Mr. Weasley! Potter, follow me, now! Class is dismissed!" The woman cut in, waving her wand so the brooms flew to a large trunk, which locked with a loud _thunk._ With an air of finality she took Harry away, Susanna attempting to chase after them only to be held back - _again_ \- by Ron.

"No, you won't do any good. He's Harry Potter, he'll be alright. I'm sure he'll only get detention."

"But what if… what if he's expelled?" She asked, watching the rest of the class trapiese away now that they were released.

"He won't -"

"But if he is… Ron, he can't go home. Not without me." She whispered, and Ron looked at her with wide blue eyes.

"Why not?"

"H-he… h-he ju-just can't." Susanna covered her mouth with a shaking hand, and Ron hesitantly squeezed her shoulder.

"He's going to be fine, Susie. Alright?"

She nodded and breathed in, trying to calm her growing panic. "Ron?"

"Yeah, Susie?"

"What's a -" Susanna stopped herself. _Mudblood. She didn't really want to know. Not then, not ever, especially with how Pansy Parkinson had said it. It was similar to how her father described certain people, how her mother spoke about aunt Lily. _

"What's a what?"

"Nothing, I forgot. We should go to the common room. Wait for Harry there."

"Of course. Let's go." Ron slung an arm over her shoulder, and they walked after the rest of their class.

* * *

"You're _joking!_"

"Unbelievable." Ron and Susanna exclaimed to Harry at dinner. The Chosen One sat across from them, eagerly but quietly telling them what had happened.

"Thanks, Suze."

"Hey, no. I'm happy you're okay - I'm more than happy nothing bad happened. It's just, I can't believe I let myself panic. Like they'd send the Chosen One away." Susanna teased her cousin, but her eyes bled fear. Harry was kind enough not to bring up that her hands were still shaking - when he'd joined them in the common room, Susanna had been pacing a hole into the floor and Ron was biting his nails.

"_Seeker?_" Ron gasped, grinning like a lunatic. "But first years never - you must be the youngest player in about -"

"A century." Harry shoved some steak and kidney pie in his mouth. "Wood told me."

"Stop talking with your mouthful." Susanna jokingly chided her cousin, her own cheeks bulging with bread.

Harry rolled his eyes, then looked at his gaping friend. "I start training next week. Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

"Who would I tell? I only hang out with you two." Susanna reminded him. "And Neville. And Seamus. Dean. Occasionally Lavender, Parvati, and Padma…" She trailed off. "Yeah, okay, no mentioning the 'big secret' to the others." She shot him two thumbs up and Harry snorted, playfully reaching over to ruffle her hair before she slapped his hand away.

Fred and George came rushing into the Great Hall, sitting dramatically on either side of Harry. Susanna had been paying attention the past two weeks - especially after the successful _Locomotor Wibbly_ she sent their way Monday morning - and was pretty sure she knew which was which.

"Well done." George whispered, the mole on his neck directed towards Susanna. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."

"Oh, great, the secret's definitely safe now." Susanna sassed. Fred and George glared at her, but she'd been on the receiving end of enough dangerous looks from her father to know they weren't serious.

"You best watch yourself, Susie-Wusie. We haven't forgotten your Jelly-Leg Jinx." Fred pointed at her. Susanna grinned and Ron groaned into his hands.

"That was kind of the point, Freddie-Weddie." She cooed, and Harry closed his eyes in prayer.

"Ooh, Susie-Q thinks she's on our level! You hear that, Fred?"

Susanna laughed. "Oh, Georgiekins, I know I'm not. I was simply putting in a request for some training. And also fulfilling a promise. It's not my fault you two forgot my threat at the feast."

George nods. "She's got a solid point, Fred."

"True." Fred started to grin. "And she managed to surprise us. Even if it was a First Year Jinx."

"I _am_ a first year!" Susanna huffed, and the twins grinned.

"Alright." George agreed.

"We'll train you." Fred added.

"But it will be rigorous -"

"You will lose house points -"

"Get quite a few detentions -"

"Do you think we're worth it?" Fred teased, George wiggling his eyebrows.

"Totally." Susanna grinned.

"Excellent. But we will be getting you back for what you did, Susie-Q." George warned, and Susanna pretended to gulp. _Alright, maybe she was a little concerned._

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year." Fred smiled down at Harry. "You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"Anyway, we've got to go. Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Ooh, can I come?" Susanna perked up, and Harry shook his head before George could respond.

"Absolutely not."

While Susanna grumbled, George reached over and ruffled her hair, eliciting a growl from the first year girl. "Don't worry Susie-Q. Besides, I bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found our first year. See you."

"Try not to cause any trouble without us, Susie-Wusie!" Fred called as he and his twin walked away, snickering at her cries of outrage.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Ron and Susanna groaned at the three newcomers who replaced the twins. Harry just scoffed and rolled his eyes, turning to face Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." Harry pointed out, voice as cool as ice.

"I think you're giving him more credit than he deserves, Harry." Susanna found herself glaring at the blonde, speaking over her cousin's shoulder.

Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles threateningly - the most they could do, with the High Table full of the Hogwarts faculty. Draco scoffed, his face skewed in anger. "I'd take you on anytime on my own." He scowled down at Harry. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has." Ron glowered up at the blonde. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

"Hey, wait a second. I want to be his second -"

"Crabbe." Draco answered, sizing up his two goons while interrupting Susanna. "Midnight alright? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." With that the three Slytherins slipped away, and Susanna angrily stabbed at her pie with her fork.

"You two never let me do anything fun."

"Suze, you don't even know what a wizard's duel is!"

Susanna huffed at her cousin, offended. "Um, I do, actually. I read, you know. Also, it's in the name. You fight with spells rather than swords like we learned at school. _Muggle_ school." She clarified when Ron was about to ask.

"Yeah, well, what's a second?" Harry asked, looking at Ron.

"They're there to take over if you die." His tone was too casual for Harry, who gulped. "But people only die in proper duels. You know, with real wizards."

Harry still looked nervous, and so Susanna leaned forward to squeeze his hand. "Hey, you'll be alright. You and Draco don't know any dangerous spells, not yet at least. And do you really think Crabbe has the mental capacity to even remember the ones we do know?"

Harry smiles and relaxes while Ron swallows his bite of food. "I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him in the nose." Ron suggests, Susanna nodding beside him.

"I'll take Crabbe, you can have Goyle." She offers nodding over to where the Slytherin trio are sitting.

"Excuse me." Susanna exhaled heavily at the haughty voice, turning in her seat with Ron. Hermione Granger stood behind the two redheads, glaring down at them and Harry with her arms cradling a book.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Ron grumbled and Susanna snorted, glaring back at the other girl. She still hadn't forgiven her for earlier.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying -" Hermione ignored Susanna and Ron in favor of speaking to Harry.

Susanna scoffed, cutting her off. "Pretty sure you could, if you applied yourself to_ minding your own business._"

Hermione practically stomped her foot in frustration. "You _mustn't_ go wandering around the school at night. Think of all the house points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be! It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business." Harry shot back.

"Goodbye." Ron added, Susanna waving sarcastically as the other girl huffed and stormed away.

"Here's hoping she doesn't tell anyone."

"She hasn't got anyone to tell." Ron responded to Susanna, who narrowed her eyes.

"Except for the professors, _especially_ McGonagall."

Ron paled and Harry inhaled, groaning. "I'm going to get kicked off the Quidditch team, and it's only been two hours."

Susanna hummed, then smiled cheekily. "Only if we're caught. Which we won't be. If you'll excuse me, I have twins to find." Before Ron and Harry could stop her, the Chosen One's cousin rose from the table and practically skipped away, weaving in and out of entering and exiting students until the Great Hall was behind her.

"Excuse me?" She asked a silver ghost, the female phantom flitting past her. She was beautiful, but shy, with long black curls. Her flowing grey dress rippled around her like a river. "Can you tell me where I can find the statue of Gregory the Smarmy?"

"Yes." The woman's voice was soft. "It's here, in the first-floor corridor. Go left and straight - he'll be by the entrance to the Marble Staircase."

"Thank you. Oh, I'm Susanna, by the way. What's your name?"

The woman observed the first year, and the girl wondered what the ghost could possibly be thinking. Wait, could ghosts read minds? "Helena. My name's Helena. Good evening, Susanna."

"Goodnight." Susanna called as the woman floated away.

As the ghost directed, she turned left, breaking into a light jog when she heard two familiar voices. "- and we should see Gunhilda this weekend, escape Hogwarts for a day."

"Shh, someone's coming!"

"Fred? George?" Susanna called, and the twins stepped into view from around the statue of Gregory.

"Missed us, eh?"

"It's only been fifteen minutes, Susie-Q!" Fred and George smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"No. I have a question."

"Oi, you're Harry Potter's cousin, aren't you?" Lee Jordan asked, his dreadlocks pulled out of his face and into a ponytail. "Lee Jordan. The twins here told me about you."

"Susanna Dursley." She shook his hand, laughing at the static shock that ran up her limb and through her body, no doubt causing her pigtails to resemble Albert Einstein's. "Should've seen that coming." Susanna pulled out her hair and did her best to twist it into a very messy bun - Madame Dulaine would've killed her if she saw it.

"What do you need, Susie-Wusie?" Fred asked, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

"What's the best way to avoid Filch?"

"And why do you need to avoid Filch?" George asked, batting his eyelashes. "Causing trouble tonight? Without us?"

Susanna shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Well?" She looked at the three boys, her eyebrows raised in interest.

"Filch is easy enough to hide from. It takes him an hour to patrol each corridor. It's Thursday, which means Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape are also going to be around, waiting to catch troublemakers - especially the cute ones." Fred winked at Susanna, who stared back unimpressed.

"Mrs. Norris is the one you have to look out for. She's Filch's spy, and she'll get him as soon as she finds something suspicious. So she's really who you have to distract."

Susanna hummed, thinking over Lee's words. "Does she get along with other cats?"

George shrugged. "Probably. Why?"

"No reason. No reason at all. Thanks, you three, it's been a pleasure." She waved distractedly to the trio of troublemakers as she walked away, mulling over her potential plan.

_Here's hoping Hades is feeling up for an adventure,_ she thought as she climbed up the Grand Staircase to the Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Susanna had been quiet when she returned. The other girls in her dorm took it as relief that her cousin was fine, when in reality she'd been considering her plan. Hermione's words followed her the whole time.

_"You have to learn to think before acting!" _The girl had said during Flying class. And Susanna begrudgingly listened, putting more thought into the plan for the evening than she ever had. Still, there was a slight problem. A minor inconvenience in the form of Hermione being absent from the dorm.

She's probably in the library, Susanna thought, petting Hades. Or asleep at a desk downstairs.

Susanna carefully got out of bed, tiptoeing over to where Padma slept to check her clock. It was just nearing half-past eleven, so she slid her feet into a pair of slippers and pulled on her fluffy grey bathrobe, wand tucked into a pocket and her hands full of Hades. She carefully left the dorm, Hades purring against her chest as she waited at the base of the dorm staircase.

Minutes later, Harry and Ron quietly made their way down the steps. "Why do you have Hades?" Ron whispered, eyeing her kitten suspiciously - he still hadn't forgiven the creature for chasing after Scabbers the other day.

"Distraction, for Mrs. Norris. I think it's time Filch's cat made a friend."

"Aren't you worried you'll lose him?" Harry asked, timidly scratching behind Hades's left ear until the black kitten hissed.

"He knows my scent. He'll find me." Susanna spoke with the utmost confidence, but that same fear plagued her for hours.

"If you're certain."

"Wait, have you seen Hermione?" Susanna asked. "She wasn't in her bed."

"That's because I've been here." A lamp turned on and Hermione was revealed. Wrapped in a pink bathrobe, she sat in the armchair nearest to the portrait. Ron groaned, Harry sighed, and Susanna rolled her eyes at the dramatics of it all. "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."

"Seriously? Go back to bed!" Ron shouted in a whisper.

Hermione's head swiveled to the red-haired boy. "I almost told your brother. Percy, he's a prefect - he'd put a stop to this!"

"Go ahead, tell him." Susanna retorted, and she tugged Ron and Harry towards the portrait, away from the interfering girl.

They stepped out of the hole, grumbling at the extra pair of footsteps hurrying after them, Hermione on their heels. "Don't you _care_ about Gryffindor, do you _only_ care about yourselves, _I_ don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about the switching spells."

"Go away." Ron ordered.

"Then you'll just earn us back more points, or are you not the smartest girl in our year? Bloody know-it-all." Susanna growled at Hermione, unconcerned about how rude she shouted, frustrated at the girl who would act kind before inevitably talking down to her. Susanna read the books, too. _Just because she didn't feel a need to prove it to the world, it didn't mean she was an idiot! She practiced spells, too, ones they hadn't even covered yet! _"Just go back to bed. Believe it or not, I have a plan. Despite what you believe, I'm not an idiot."

"Alright." Hermione glared at the other girl. "But I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -"

But as she turned to face the Fat Lady's portrait, the four students found it empty. The Fat Lady had gone on a night time visit to the other portraits, leaving her own painting empty. Hermione was stuck, only able to wait for the Fat Lady's return.

Susanna laughed, and Hermione turned to face the trio, stomping her foot. "Now what am I going to do?" She asked shrilly.

"That's your problem. We've got to go, we're going to be late." Ron responded, then the trio of troublemakers left her behind to walk down the stairs.

"Here, the third-floor. The trophy room should be around here." Susanna reached the entrance first, stepping onto the landing of the staircase and groaning when she saw they'd been followed by not one, but two Gryffindors. Neville had finally made it back from the Hospital Wing, no doubt finding himself in the same predicament as Hermione, who was glaring at the leading three.

"We're coming with you!" She hissed, and Susanna laughed sarcastically.

"No. Neville can. You're not. How's your arm?" Susanna asked Neville. He was about to respond when Hermione interrupted him, blocking the Longbottom boy from view as she chastised Susanna.

"Do you think I'm going to wait outside the Gryffindor Tower for Filch to catch me? If he finds the five of us, I'll tell him the truth." Hermione haughtily declared. "I'll tell him that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve -" Ron began, but Susanna and Harry shushed him. The other four watched as the Dursley girl kneeled down to release Hades, who purred around her feet.

"Stay close, Hades." She asked quietly, her kitten mewling in response. "The next person who talks will get clawed by Hades here, understand?" She winked up at the pale Neville, who smiled back a little.

"Right. And if either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell taught us and used it on you." Ron warned Neville and Hermione, the latter of whom looked like she was about to tell Ron just how to do it. Harry hissed at her to be quiet and she shut her mouth.

They walked down the moonlit third-floor, Hades stepping lightly around Susanna as they moved, occasionally rushing ahead. He'd stop and wait for her at a corner, acting as a scout. Their connection seemed to amaze Hermione, who quietly puzzled over it from behind the other girl. Susanna knew Hades behavior was expected - after all, he'd seemed to have chosen her from the beginning, and rarely left her side. He always seemed to know where to find her, recognizing her scent easily.

"Good boy." Susanna whispered, stopping to pet her kitten when he waited in front of the entrance to the trophy room, his tail flicking. Hades purred as the others entered the unlocked room, mewling when Susanna scooped him into her arms and carried the little guy inside, quietly thanking the universe that Filch and Mrs. Norris hadn't found them - or worse, McGonagall and Snape.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't there yet, the trophy room empty of any Slytherins. The crystal trophy cases shimmered in the moonlight. Silver and gold cups, shields, statues, and plates winked at the five Gryffindors.

Harry had his wand pulled out in case Draco ambushed them, and Susanna worriedly considered the idea that he was bringing a few upperclassmen with him. She should've told the twins and Lee. They'd've been great help, she thought to herself as the minutes ticked by.

"He's late, maybe he chickened out?" Ron whispered, and Susanna cursed under her breath, getting a look of loathing from Hermione. She also hadn't considered that, and took his pride for granted.

A noise from another room made them all jump, and Hades hissed before leaping out of Susanna's arms. He crept towards the entrance of the trophy room like a little black lion.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be looking in the corridor." Their luck had run out, it seemed. Mrs. Norris and Filch had nearly found them, and Susanna almost called for Hades when the kitten slipped around the corner, mewling. "And who's this, I wonder. Tell me, little one, where's your witch or wizard?" Susanna counted her breaths, the others horror-struck, until Filch laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "Right, you say? Well, lead on." Hades hissed, and Filch walked away from the Gryffindor students' direction.

"Come on, this way!" Harry whispered, waving the group towards the door on the left side. The scurried through it silently, Filch no longer a threat…

Until Neville let out a frightened squeak at a giant, frightening statue of a winged-woman, tackling Ron to the floor as he tripped. The two knocked over one of the suits lining the hall, and it clattered loud enough to wake all of Hogwarts.

"Run!" Harry yelled, and the five dashed down the corridor, twisting and turning in hopes of avoiding Filch. Her cousin was in the lead and Susanna galloped after him, tugging Neville and hoping that he wouldn't fall again. He was clumsier than her!

They ran through a tapestry and through a secret passageway, entering the hallway near the Charms classroom, far away from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him." Harry panted as he leant against the cold wall. Susanna nodded and fought to catch her breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead - she hadn't been that out of breath since Madame Dulaine forced the class to do one hundred jumps without breaking.

"I - _told_ \- you," Hermione gasped and clutched her chest, "I - told - you." Susanna rolled her eyes at the tone. _She's clearly fine if she's able to scold us. She didn't have to follow, nosy know-it-all, _Susanna angrily thought to herself, too tired to berate her mind for thinking as it used.

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Quickly as possible." Ron muttered.

"Malfoy tricked you!" Hermione spat at Harry. Susanna didn't find the tone to her liking, and stood in front of her cousin, nearly growling. "What, you didn't plan for that?" She asked the redhead girl. "He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

"Thank you, for stating the obvious. That's completely helpful." Susanna bit back at the older girl. "Unless you have a way to get back to the common room, stop talking."

"Suze, hey." Harry put a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Let's go."

They'd barely cleared the hall when a doorknob rattled and its door shook. Peeves burst out from behind it, squealing when he saw the five Gryffindors.

"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out!" Ron tried, and Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle FIrsties? Tut, tut, tut. _Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty!_" He teased. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" He bellowed, and as the others began to run Susanna glared up at the floating poltergeist.

"I'm siccing the Bloody Baron on you for that, _Ickle Peevesie!_"

The poltergeist blew a raspberry, but continued his yells. Someone grabbed Susanna's hand and tugged, and she found herself being pulled down the corridor by Hermione. They raced into another room only to be forced to stop in front of its locked door.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, he and Harry pushing helplessly at it while Susanna attempted to kick it down. "We're done for, this is the end!"

"Shut up!"

"Shut it!" Hermione and Susanna whispered harshly at him, speaking at the same time.

"Oh, move over! Ugh, I can't see a thing!"

"_Lumos!_" Susanna whispered behind her, mahogany wand in hand. The tip of her wand began to glow, though it wasn't quite as bright as the other times Susanna tried it. Still, Hermione's mouth dropped. "I practice, too." Susanna defended herself angrily. Hermione cleared her throat, wand pointed at the lock on the door.

"_Alohomora!_" There was a click and the door swung open, the five students rushing inside. Susanna shut it quickly.

"_Nox!_" She mumbled as Filch's voice got closer, Peeves still shouting. The dimmed light at the tip of her wand vanished.

The Gryffindors pressed their ears to the closed door, listening with bated breath. "Which way did they go, Peeves? Quick, tell me!" Filch ordered the poltergeist.

"Say 'please'."

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now _where did they go?_" Filch hissed, Mrs. Norris copying him. Susanna couldn't hear Hades, and she hoped the kitten was safe.

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please." Peeves sang out.

"Alright - please."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa!" The poltergeist laughed, Susanna jumping at the volume, but smiling as he continued. "Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" Peeves whooshed away, Filch cursing up a storm that put her father's to shame.

"He thinks the door is locked." Harry whispered from beside Susanna. "I think we'll be okay - get off, Neville!" Harry hissed at Neville, who then started tugging on Susanna's bathrobe sleeve.

"What?"

"Need… light…" He mumbled fearfully.

Susanna rolled her eyes, but muttered "_Lumos!_" as she and the others turned away from the door, a nightmare lit up before their very eyes.

They weren't in a room, but in a corridor. And thanks to the cobwebs and dust collecting around them, Susanna knew this was the forbidden corridor on the third-floor, the one Professor Dumbledore had warned them against visiting at the start-of-term feast.

It was easy to understand why this corridor was forbidden, because the five Gryffindors were staring straight into the eyes of a gigantic dog. It filled the whole space, almost too big to be contained by the floor and ceiling of the corridor. And it had three heads - three monstrous, drooling heads. Six mad eyes stared down at them, three noses twitched with interest, and the three tongues dipped out of three mouths to lick their lips, yellowed-fangs exposed.

It stood still as a Muggle picture, clearly surprised to see the five students but no less hungry, their growls get louder and fuller.

The door behind them opened and Susanna felt Harry clutching her arm to tug her out, the cousins slamming the door shut as soon as the other three Gryffindors had left the forbidden corridor. They ran faster than before, no longer afraid that Filch would find them, not after being stared down by a three-headed dog.

Susanna nearly collapsed with relief when they reached the Fat Lady's portrait to find Hades waiting for them, tail tucked around his small body until he rose and stretched, hissing one last time at the portrait before prancing towards Susanna. She scooped him up in her arms, close to her heaving chest.

"Is he yours, girl? Nasty little creature. Hissed at me for half-an-hour, he did." The Fat Lady glowered at Hades, who hissed back. Susanna would've too, if she wasn't so out of breath. "Where on earth have you all been?" The painting asked, as Susanna finally extinguished the tip of her wand.

"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout." Harry panted, Ron gesturing for the Fat Lady to hurry up as she clucked her tongue in annoyance but let them in. The five Gryffindors clambered through the hole and stumbled to the sitting area, where Ron and Harry fell on the couch while Neville and Hermione took the armchairs. Susanna nearly face-planted in front of the fireplace, collapsing to the floor with Hades on her stomach.

They all trembled, the only noises they made coming from their panting and Neville's whimpers. He was as white as a ghost, clearly regretting having followed the other four.

Ron was the first to speak up. "What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"He's… Cerberus…" Susanna mumbled tiredly, stretching out in front of the fireplace. "He guarded Hades, the Underworld."

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped, her breath and anger returning. _Oh, great,_ Susanna thought to herself. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"_Three heads._" Neville muttered. "_Three heads._"

"Neville, we're okay. We're safe now." Susanna mumbled tiredly, but was unheard by the scared boy.

"No, _not_ the floor! It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something!" And with that, Hermione stood, flushed with anger and the unexpected exercise. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled."

"You _need_ to sort out you priorities." Ron muttered spitefully and Susanna snickered tiredly, pointing at him in agreement. Hermione stomped her foot.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Susanna nodded. "We don't mind."

"You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?" Ron asked the cousins as Hermione retreated, Neville hurrying after her.

"Come on, we should get some sleep, too." Harry muttered, helping his cousin up from the floor. Hades jumped off of her, following closely as the three first years walked up the steps to the dorm, Susanna hugging the boys goodnight.

Hermione was already in bed, her drapes drawn shut. Susanna moaned under her breath at the sight, grateful she wouldn't be lectured anymore than before. Still, the Muggle-born's observation ate away at her all night, rousing her from sleep what felt like every few minutes.

A trapdoor? She considered, staring out the moonlit window with Hades purring next to her head. What could be so important that a three-headed dog had to guard it?

_"It's about the You-Know-What, in vault You-Know-Which."_ Susanna shot up in bed as the sky began to lighten, dawn approaching. Hagrid's voice came to her all at once. _"Can't tell yeh that. Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me."_ She remembered emptying the vault, and what had been reported about Gringotts later.

Hagrid had told them Hogwarts was safer than the bank, whose vaults were guarded by a dragon. _A dragon._ Could the three-headed dog be guarding what the thieves had been after?

"Oh, Hades." Susanna whispered to the sleeping kitten, dawn finally breaking on the horizon. "What are they hiding here?"

* * *

**Alright, time for a few additional notes:**

**Lumos and Nox; Susanna knows it?**

_**Susanna read all her Hogwarts books multiple times over the summer. We saw it. I know I hadn't written scenes of her practicing spells outside of class, but I will after this - especially when she and Hermione become friends (more down there). But yes, she taught herself both. My intention is not to make her as smart as Hermione, but Susanna's a highly determined person. She did dance for most of her life, and I know that made me work harder in school, too, because I was used to being pushed to be better. Susanna knows she isn't the smartest person in the room (though perhaps she is occasionally) but she comes from a place of working as hard as the smartest person in the room (if that makes sense). **_

**Why is Susanna so patient with Neville?**

_**It's simple: Neville reminds her of Harry, before they became close. Yes, Harry was more capable of taking care of himself, but there are certain similarities, especially when comparing how Dudley treats Harry to how Draco and others treat Neville. Susanna wants to protect Neville because of it. Does she get annoyed? Yes. But she's fond of him all the same. And she does help him become more confident and sure of himself as the story progresses, because I think she's a character who inspires growth.**_

**Why the hostility between Hermione and Susanna?**

_**In their first introduction, Hermione's lack of social grace greatly irks Susanna. She didn't appreciate how she spoke to Harry or how dismissive she was of Ron. Susanna doesn't like Hermione's attitude in class - we saw her being condescending to Susanna in Potions the previous chapter - and Susanna hates being talked down to. She also dislikes how much Hermione values house points over everything else. Remember, this story is third person, but it's not an omniscient narrative - Susanna doesn't see all. She sees what she thinks she sees, and Hermione presents herself in a way that pisses her off, and she's still struggling with her past behavior (which appears next chapter, before the girls settle their differences). Also, it's important to reiterate that she isn't jealous of Hermione, her hostility comes from her need to protect Harry, and then Ron, and Hermione was rude to both. As for why Hermione is hostile towards Susanna, Miss Granger is just returning the attitude. She's also unimpressed by how little Susanna seems to care about house points and behaving in school - in reality, their priorities are currently different.**_

**The girls will be friends, right?**

_**Oh, abso-freaking-lutely. Yes! Next chapter their friendship blossoms, and it's a real sisterhood. They're good for each other in a way that's different than how Harry and Ron are good for either girl, and vice versa. Where the boys are constantly using Hermione's intelligence to their advantage - occasionally taking it for granted - Susanna will help Hermione see their are other ways to prove herself. Susanna helps teach Hermione social grace (bless the boys, but Ron lacks tact and Harry is a salty boi), and helps her become more confident. Hermione teaches Susanna to not hide her intelligence behind humor and sarcasm - which she tends to do. She also motivates the girl in classes, and teaches her that sometimes it's important to show people how smart you are, even if it's in a "know-it-all" way. They're going to respect each other's opinions of one another, and be as close as Ron and Harry are. Expect late-night study sessions, weekends in the library and reading by the Black Lake, and practicing spells after school. **_

**Lee, George, and Fred; why am I having them adopt her?**

_**Well, Susanna's a trouble-maker. She looks like her aunt, but she's a lot like James - only less of a bully (I know, I know, James grows up, but he was a jerk in school. All teens are at some point). I also want her to have her own relationships and story outside of Harry's, and a friendship with the twins and Lee breeds all kinds of adventures - plus, think of all the extra skills in sneaking Susanna will gain! Susanna is, after all, her own person. Yes, she's an OC, but I won't have her just following Harry and the others around. I specialize in OC stories, and I pride myself in my ability to really make them their own character while existing in a world they weren't originally a part of. Susanna won't be any different.**_

**Alright, that's it. I'll be working on the next chapter now.**

**Also, these are some difficult times. If anyone's feeling isolated or alone during this quarantine, you can message me. I'm feeling the same way, and would totally love to answer any questions about my fics, how I create my characters, even which ice cream flavor is my favorite. I'm here if you need to talk. Please take care of yourselves: wash your hands, stay inside unless absolutely necessary, call people you trust if you're in a difficult situation. Reach out to your therapists, hotlines, authorities, anyone who can help you. **

**If you're in the US and need it, there's the ****National Association of Domestic Violence hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE. They can also be contacted online at thehotline .org (no space, FanFiction just hates adding in external websites) as well, along with more resources which are listed on their site. I'm not familiar with other resources outside of the US, but am more than happy to research if need be. If you can, use it. Protecting ourselves from COVID-19 is _not_ more important than protecting ourselves from abuse of any form. Be smart, be careful, and remember that while w****e're practicing social distance, we won't be alone.**

**xoxo Charmedlion22**


	9. Halloween

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!**

**First, Clanking Cuipaga: Yes, I know the staircases were separate in the books. However, I'm mixing the books and the movies together, so the different elements of each part of canon is sprinkled in this fic. Don't worry, I still worked in the good old "sliding-staircase trick". On a personal note, I also never really understood the reasoning for girls being able to enter the boys' dorm, but not the other way around. Like, what's the point? They'll still be hanging out in a dorm together, trustworthy or otherwise. As for making a friend in Slytherin, that won't really happen until further down the road. But I like your suggestion! Thanks for the review!**

**This chapter will cover Halloween. We've got some Ron and Susanna funny moments, and I've peppered in examples of the "old Susanna". She won't be particularly nice in this chapter, but she's still unlearning her crueler reactions to other people. I swear I'll have the next chapter up in a few days, I'm really trying to be more focused on writing to distract from how crazy the world is right now. **

**I hope you guys are staying safe, and that you enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC - the rest is JK Rowling's!**

* * *

Since their midnight adventure, the boys and Susanna had been discussing little else but whatever Hagrid had taken from vault 713. It was either dangerous, valuable, or both - Susanna was sure it was both. Why else would Dumbledore feel the need to protect it with the giant three-headed dog residing in the forbidden corridor?

Neville and Hermione cared very little about what had transpired that night. Neville refused to even mention the third-floor, and would turn as pale as a ghost at the mere mention of a dog. As for Hermione, she completely refused to speak to either boy, only ever rolling her eyes if they misbehaved. Harry and Ron were more than happy with that particular development.

Susanna would've said the same, if it weren't for the fact Hermione Granger was doing the opposite with her. If Susanna attempted to leave the dorm in the middle of the night, Hermione would wake up and stop her. Whenever Susanna pulled a successful prank on an unsuspecting student, Hermione was there to tell her off. She was a second shadow Susanna had no hope of losing, no matter what she did.

"This is a bloody nightmare!" She griped at Harry and Ron, storming into the Great Hall for breakfast. "I can't stand her! Every time I try to have a bit of fun, she finds a way to stop me. And don't even get me started on how she acts in class."

"Fine, I won't." Harry sasses, but Ron shoves at him.

"No, go on." Ron urges Susanna, who takes a vicious bite out of a piece of toast, chewing and talking at the same time.

"If I laugh, she calls me immature. If I start doodling, she tells me I'm being lazy - it doesn't matter if I've finished taking notes!" Ron nods at her to continue. "And the showing-off is getting more irritating by the minute. I get it, she reads. I can read too, and I do, but you don't see me shoving how smart I am down other people's throats. She's the _worst._" Susanna stopped and took a swig from her goblet of pumpkin juice. "You know what? I'm going to do it. I'm going to prank her."

"Why haven't you already?" Harry asked, sliding some bacon onto his plate.

"Because I'm a good person." He hummed. "I have morals? Oh, whatever, the point is I'm _done._ She's going to _wish_ she never messed with me. What?"

Harry was staring at her like she was a complete stranger, his eyes blown a little wide in surprise. Susanna didn't care for the look, and chose to focus on her scrambled eggs instead, ignoring her cousin and focusing on the anger bubbling in her stomach.

The trio was unusually silent, neither one knowing what to say. Susanna glared at Hermione when she saw the girl sitting and reading, her nose buried in a giant book. She couldn't help but wonder if she was actually reading it for pleasure, or if it was another tool to show off with.

Hermione looked up and over, meeting Susanna's gaze. Both girls refused to look away, their faces marred by deadly scowls.

"Oi, Susie-Q!" Susanna jumped and turned, smiling up at Fred, George, and Lee.

"Morning!"

"What's got you in a mood?" Fred asked, looking at Ron and Harry for answers.

"Oh, nothing. Just an annoying little pest who can't_ mind their own business!_" Susanna spoke up, looking pointedly at Hermione Granger. The girl blushed furiously and stood up, removing herself and her massive book from the Great Hall.

"Someone's in a mood." George commented, and Susanna shoved at him.

"Yeah, you would be too. She's awful. Do you have any pranks for bossy girls who think they're better than you?" She complained, batting her eyelashes.

Lee laughed and ruffled her loose red hair. "Well, you have access to her books."

"You're plenty clever, Susie-Wusie. But if you do need some help, you can always switch out her wand for this one in class."

Susanna took the trick wand and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Fred. "A trick wand? Really?"

"I was saving it for Miles Bletchley. Nasty little git." Fred muttered darkly over to the Slytherin table, and while his eyes met Miles's, Susanna's gaze focused on Draco. She looked away before he could notice, and laughed at Fred.

"So use it on him. I like Lee's book suggestion." Susanna gave the trick wand back, and the other redhead shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Oh, Ron, mum said you haven't been writing to her enough. She misses her Ickle Ronniekins." Fred, George, and Lee walked away laughing, ignoring Ron's scowling and cursing.

"They're the bloody worst." He grumbled into his porridge, then looked at Susanna's plate. "That's all you're having?"

"Here, eat your eggs." Harry shoveled some more eggs onto her plate, as well as a couple of broiled tomatoes. She sighed but bit into her breakfast, wondering if she should find a room to dance in. _Should she jog? Do people even jog at Hogwarts?_

Loud screeching filled the Great Hall, and she looked up as owls flapped in through the doors and windows, dropping parcels and letters down in front of students and faculty. She bit her lip and waited, wondering if it was arriving today. She briefly glanced over at Professor McGonagall, who sent her a fraction of a smile before Madam Sinistra captured her attention.

"Oi, wonder who that's for?" Ron asked, and Susanna looked to the left, smiling in awe at the sight of six large screech owls flying down towards the Gryffindor table. Their talons held one long parcel, and they dropped it down in front of Harry. The confused boy plucked the attached card off his package and read it, a smile forming on his lips. Ron peered at the writing over his shoulders, and Susanna nonchalantly drank the rest of her juice, pretending to read the note when it was passed to her.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand! I've never even _touched_ one!" Ron groaned, blue eyes full of envy.

"How did Professor McGonagall pay for it, though? With school funds?" Harry asked, and Susanna shrugged.

"No idea. We should put this in your dorm. Under your bed. Hide it."

"You -" Before Harry could finish, Susanna cut him off.

"I know, yes, I'm right."

"Hang on. Susie, did you -"

But Susanna was too far away to answer Ron, and the boys scurried after her. Just as they'd all met in the entrance hall, Draco and his two bodyguards appeared, blocking them from walking up the stairs. Susanna groaned in irritation when Crabbe and Goyle snatched the parcel from Harry's hand, and Draco felt around it, his cold eyes blown wide.

"That's a broomstick!" Susanna groaned, thought it went unheard by the boys. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter. First years aren't allowed one!"

Susanna was eager to wipe the smug look of Draco's face, but Ron beat her to it. "It's not any old broomstick! It's a Nimbus Two Thousand! What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty? Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." Ron grinned over at Harry, and Susanna rolled her eyes as Draco puffed out his chest with the utmost self-importance.

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle. I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig, you're family's so -"

Susanna glowered and stood in front of Ron, barely a step away from Draco. He paused in confusion. "Go on. Finish the sentence." She jeered, her cheeks feeling hot. "There's a new jinx an older student taught me that I'm just _itching_ to try out. It's right nasty, causes boils to explode all over your face. Though, judging from the red spot just there," Susanna pointed out a supposed blemish, "someone's beaten me to it."

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Draco growled, pale cheeks flushed and eyes crazed. "A stupid, ugly little mu-"

"Not arguing, I hope!"

All six students looked down at Professor Flitwick, who seemed to just appear next to Draco's elbow. He was smiling, completely oblivious to the situation.

Draco used their silence to his advantage. "Potter's been sent a broomstick, professor!" He spoke quickly, eagerly awaiting Harry's punishment. Susanna nearly pounced to strike him - _in front of a teacher! Hermione would've lost it_ \- but Harry managed to subtlety tug her back.

Professor Flitwick clapped his hands and beamed ecstatically up at Harry. "Yes, yes, that's right. Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Mr. Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir." Then Harry smirked, his eyes pointed dangerously at Draco. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it."

Susanna covered her mouth, laughing at the look of horror on Draco's face, and took great pleasure in ramming her arm against his, lightly shoving him out of her way in the hope that it would heal the sting of his words.

As soon as they were far enough away from the professor and three Slytherins, the trio of Gryffindors let their laughter escape, startling quite a few passing ghosts. Ron was outright chortling, and Susanna laughed through her fear of him falling down the stairs, he was so unbalanced.

"Oh, mate, that was brilliant!"

"Well, it's true!" Harry laughed, wiping under his eyes as they finally made it up the last marble step. "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall, I wouldn't be on the team -"

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?"

All three groaned at the familiar voice, looking up to see Hermione standing at the base of the Grand Staircase, arms crossed over her book and bag swinging on her shoulder. "I thought I'd scared you off. It was quiet enough without you butting in on something you have no clue about." Susanna shot at her, and Ron nodded in agreement.

"I thought you weren't talking to us?" Harry asked, though he didn't sound quiet as mean as his cousin.

"Yeah, you two. She's still bothering me." Susanna muttered under her breath, though it was far-from quiet.

Ron snorted. "Yeah, don't stop now. It's doing Harry and I so much good!"

Hermione stormed away with her nose in the air and Ron mimicked her, getting a loud laugh from Susanna. She, Harry, and Ron walked up the steps to Gryffindor Tower, their arms linked. Laughter rang around the Grand Staircase as Susanna proceeded to trip over air, the girl the first to giggle at her clumsiness.

* * *

With Harry off to his first private Quidditch session, Susanna and Ron sat at a desk in the common room, out of the way from the rest of the action. The red-haired boy was playing Wizard's Chess against himself, spinning the board around with each move. Susanna watched him occasionally, quill to her lips as she attempted to complete her Astrology work.

"I don't bloody understand this." She griped, setting down her quill and glaring at her near-blank star chart while pushing her practice parchment out of the way.

"I can't believe that of all the subjects we're forced to take, you don't get the easiest one."

"Hey, I don't comment on your confusion in Potions and History of Magic!"

"That's because normal people are confused by both!" Ron defended himself angrily. To observers, it looked as though a fight was about to break out. Instead, the two redheads burst into laughter, pointing at each other's freckled and flushed faces. "Here. I'll take a look." Ron reached over for her practice parchment.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?" Hermione asked, standing by their table. Susanna tilted her head.

"You know, I can't tell if she's asking because she's worried, or because she thinks you're incapable of helping me." Susanna threw at Ron, who glared up at the bushy-haired Muggle-born.

"I think it's 'cause she thinks I'm stupid."

"Probably." Susanna hummed and looked at the other girl, completely unimpressed. "No, I don't want you to do it. Ron's more than capable. Or was he not the one who pointed out Venus?"

"Anyone could find Venus, it's the brightest planet in the sky!" Hermione scoffed.

Susanna rounded her mouth into an O. "So then why didn't you point it out in class? Tired of always showing-off, or were you just too slow?" Hermione fumed and stormed away, and Susanna grinned over at a giggling Lavender and Pavarti. Padma sent her a disappointed frown and the redhead rolled her eyes, waving in Hermione's direction irritatedly.

"Here, you've got Orion's Belt mixed up with the Perseus constellation, see? And Andromeda is over here. This is Sirius." Ron pointed around the parchment and Susanna smiled at him.

"You're smarter than you act, Ron." Her best friend grinned and waved her off.

While he looked over the rest of her parchment - adding in changes on the practice sheet so Madam Sinistra would be none the wiser - Susanna read over what he'd written for Potions. They were still working on the Cure for Boils. Susanna had wanted to partner with Neville, but whenever Susanna attempted to work with him Professor Snape sent her on her way. She did her best to help him after class, but there was only so much she could do without making the potions for him. Instead she was stuck with Hermione, who often took over before Susanna could offer to do anything, shooting her glares if she wasn't helping fast enough.

"The porcupine quills aren't pickled, the Shrake spines are." Ron groaned at his two-foot essay. "But you were correct on the amount of quills to use. Oh, and here - the _potion_ itself is blue, the _smoke_ is pink." Susanna pointed to the changes with the tip of her quill, and Ron got back to work.

"Look at this, Georgie; Ickle Ronniekins and Susie-Wusie are hard at work! Aren't they precious?" Fred cooed and the younger Weasley groaned. Susanna snickered and rolled her eyes before looking up at the twins and Lee, waving at them as she leaned back in her chair.

"Well, we were before you showed up. Some of us have to make up for all the points you lose Gryffindor."

"Ouch. That hurts, Susie-Q." George covered his heart, and she laughed.

"Did it? Good. Now, what can us two dashing first years help you with?"

"I think you need glasses more than Harry does, Susie-Wusie." Fred gestured in disgust to Ron, whose face turned as red as his hair. "Calling our brother dashing must mean you're blind."

Susanna narrowed her eyes. "He's alright looking."

"Oi!"

"I'm not going to call you 'cute'. You're my best friend, that's just gross."

Ron glowered at her. "Yeah, well, you're not winning any prizes for your beauty, either!"

Susanna pouted. "But I'm good looking. Your brothers said so." And then she grinned. "I'm just kidding. You're an attractive bloke, Ron."

He blushed, but batted his eyelashes. "Oh, Susie, so are you."

"I'm an attractive bloke?" She raised an eyebrow, and Ron paused.

"I think Neville's calling me. Sorry, I have to go!" Ron grabbed what he could and bolted up the stairs, Susanna yelling behind him. She made it to his dorm just as he slammed the door.

"Come out, you coward!" Susanna roared. Before she could stop herself, she twisted the doorknob. The popping sound could only mean defeat. Emitting a curse her father would've been proud to hear, the floor beneath her smoothed out and descended, a blast of wind pushing her down and away from the boys' room. She passed her own dorm on the way down, screaming when the staircase transfigured into a slide as well. Down Susanna slid with her arms crossed, and her glower was enough to make the rest of the common room stay away for the rest of the evening. Even Harry was too afraid to ask, and judging from how pale Ron was he knew better than to try.

* * *

"If one more person tries to jump out from around the corner and scare me, I swear I'm going to unleash the most horrible jinx I know." Susanna growled, Ron and Harry hurrying after her.

"And what jinx would that be?" Harry asked teasingly. The smile fell when his cousin's green eyes blazed with anger.

"I don't know. But it will be _awful__._"

Nearly two months had passed them by - to Susanna, it seemed to have been in a blink of an eye. The weekly routine seemed to blend the days together. The highlights had been the pranking, especially what she pulled on Hermione a month ago. On Hogsmeade weekend the twins and Lee had bought her an assortment of products from Zonko's Joke Shop - and yes, she paid them back. One such product was a Screaming Yo-Yo, and on one particular September evening Susanna hid herself under a table in the library, right next to where Hermione was studying. She rolled the Yo-Yo every few minutes until Madam Pince stormed over and demanded that the flustered bushy-haired girl leave the library.

In early October Susanna stole some books out of Hermione's bag, waiting for her to be distracted during breakfast. Without questioning the suspicious grin on Susanna's face, Lavender and the Patil twins kept Hermione's attention. Susanna hurried back to the dorm to tuck the books away in her closet. It was her first relaxing Tuesday at Hogwarts.

Of course, Susanna returned the books to Hermione's shelf that same evening when her fun was done. The first thing the Weasley twins and Lee had taught her was to know how long to play out the prank. Hermione apologized awkwardly to Susanna, Lavender, and the Patil twins the next morning, murmuring that she couldn't believe she didn't see the books right in front of her. As soon as she'd left the dorm for breakfast, the remaining four girls broke into laughter, the Patils and Lavender clapping as Susanna bowed proudly.

Later, she'd been riddled with guilt. She told herself Hermione had deserved to be messed with. She'd been asking for it since school started. Besides, it wasn't like Susanna was spreading rumors about her. They were just harmless little jokes.

In a surprising turn of events, she found herself missing ballet. Seriously. All those Thursday afternoons on a broomstick, and her mind still wandered to an activity she'd spent most of her life hating. Susanna did what she could - she'd practice routines in empty classrooms and stretch in her dorm. She did her best to eat as much as her mother would have allowed, but still worried over her appearance in the mirror, expecting to start resembling her father and brother.

Ballet was the only thing from the Muggle world that Susanna missed, though, especially when classes were involved. There was no comparing a subject like math to Charms class, and Potions was far more entertaining than any Muggle science lesson. Indeed, she'd done well in Professor Snape's course. She, Hermione, and Draco all seemed to be competing for approval. So far only the blonde had won - which was absolutely favoritism, considering Snape was Draco's godfather.

Draco was an insufferable git. Whoever she met on the train was clearly a figment of her imagination, because he was nothing like the blonde-haired boy who enjoyed tormenting anyone who wasn't in his house. Crabbe and Goyle were nearly as bad, but their stupidity outweighed their meanness. Pansy Parkinson, though?

She was _worse_ than Draco. She did her very best to try and make a fool out of Susanna. Whether it was tripping her in the halls or swapping her Potions ingredients, she had it out for the redhead. Susanna wouldn't have been surprised if Parkinson had forgotten her name, judging from how often the girl called her "mudblood".

It was an easy enough nickname to understand. She was Muggle-born. She wasn't pure like her tormentors. She had dirty blood. Muddy blood. Mudblood. Maybe Parkinson thought Susanna had no idea what she was calling her. Maybe she didn't care either way.

If it weren't for magic and Muggles, Parkinson and her brother would probably get along.

"I'm just excited to make something float. A galleon says Seamus manages to blow something out." Ron bet, the cousins snorting in response.

"Easy money, Ronniekins." Susanna joked. "I'm not shaking on that."

"Fair enough. He did set the corner of his bed on fire last night." Ron hummed, and they turned towards the Charms classroom. Ron broke a little ahead but Susanna paused, holding back her cousin.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, giving her a worried look.

"Nothing. I just… I'm checking on you, I guess." Breakfast had been a little overwhelming, for Harry most of all. Amidst sips of pumpkin juice and a plethora of sweet food many classmates had come by to talk at Harry. His parents were killed on Halloween, and everyone wanted to know just how he was feeling. No, actually, they just assumed how he was doing. It'd taken a glare and many threats from Susanna and Ron before the eager students scurried off.

Harry's shoulders relaxed. "I'm okay. Just wasn't prepared for… all that."

"I know." Susanna glanced over to where Ron was sitting. She snorted at the glare of frustration he was sending Hermione's way. The girl was turned towards Isobel MacDougal of Ravenclaw, talking rapidly. Ron gestured to her, and Harry snickered as soon as he noticed his best friend's expression.

"Come on. Before Ron gets himself in trouble."

"Well, don't add me to the equation. It'll only get worse." Susanna jested, and followed her cousin. Ron gave her a pleading look and she sat down between him and Hermione with a sigh. The bushy-haired girl sent her a brief dismissive glare, then continued her conversation. Ron cleared his throat and straightened, copying Hermione's expression. Susanna chortled, ignoring whatever look Hermione was sending her way for interrupting her conversation _again._

As the last of the class trickled in Professor Flitwick levitated himself up onto the stack of books. "Happy Halloween! Now, as promised, today we will be focusing on the levitation charm! As practiced last class, you simply say 'Wingardium Leviosa'. And don't forget the wrist movement!" Professor Flitwick squeaked out. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the words properly is very important - pronunciation is key, not just how enthusiastically you wave your wand! Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest. Now, pair up. Good, good. And does each pair have a feather? Hmm, yes. You may begin!" Professor Flitwick observed the class from his perch, and Susanna and Ron got to work.

It's more difficult than she believed. It doesn't help that the room's too loud to hear herself think. She manages a slight float before their feather sets back down. "Maybe I'm not putting enough into the words." Susanna whispered to Ron, guessing.

He shrugged and glared at the feather as though it'd insulted him. "Maybe you're being too gentle? Here, let me try. _Wingardium Leviosa!_" He shouted, then dangerously flicked his wand up and down, practically a windmill. Susanna shot out her hand and stopped him, covering her face.

"Ron, careful, you'll take my eyes out!" She snapped playfully, shoving at him. "Again, with a little less arm-waving."

Ron blushed. "Right. Sorry." He cleared his throat, and prepared to swish and flick. "_Wingardrium Leviosar!_" He mispronounced.

"No, wait - Ron, it's Wingar-_di_-um -" Susanna started to put an emphasis on the word so he could correct himself when bushy hair slapped her in the face. She yelped and scooted back, rubbing at her left eye as Hermione leaned around her, glaring at Ron.

"You're saying it wrong!" She snapped. "It's Win-_gar_-di-um Levi-_o_-sa, not Wingar-_dri_-um Levio-_sar_! Make the 'gar' nice and long."

"Oi, don't talk to him like that!" Susanna growled back, still rubbing at her eye. "And would it kill you to mind your own business?"

Ron's face was as red as his hair, just as it'd been after they met Hermione on the train. "You do it, then, if you're so clever!" He snapped back at her.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, then cleared her throat. Rolling up the sleeves of her gown she pointed the tip of her vine wand at her feather. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She flicked her wand and the feather between the know-it-all and Isobel MacDougal began to float, rising four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick clapped his hands. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Susanna patted Ron on the arm, both redheads glaring at the smug Hermione. Susanna only wondered when the other Muggle-born would hold this moment over her head - _next class, probably. Maybe for a week._

She and Ron had been in a very bad mood by the time class had ended. Not even Seamus blowing up his feather cracked a laugh from them. Susanna had shrugged off her cousin's hand as he attempted to steer her ahead of Hermione.

"What a bloody piece of work!" Susanna finally released in the crowded halls, Ron nodding beside her. Seamus laughed, his face covered in soot from the feather, and Dean shook his head with a small grin on his face. "She always has to be right, doesn't she? And we're all just _idiots_ compared to her!" Susanna cleared her throat, giving Ron a sneer. "'It's Win-_gar_-di-um Levi-_o_-sa, not Wingar-_dri_-um Levio-_sar_!'" The boys laughed at her impression, and she ignored the look Harry was sending her from around Neville.

Ron snorted, smirking at the group. "She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she hasn't got any friends!" Susanna giggled, then stumbled as Neville bumped into her.

"Sorry, Susanna -" Neville righted himself, but she was too busy staring after a bushy head of hair.  
Hermione had stormed past Harry, shoving into his shoulder which knocked Neville into Susanna. She wasn't so far ahead that the redhead couldn't see her shoulders shaking as the other Muggle-born stormed off.

"I think she heard you." Harry told the two redheads, and Ron awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So?" He looked away, uncomfortable. "She must've noticed no one can stand her."

Susanna hadn't said anything. Instead, she let the boys pass her, stopping in the middle of the crowded hall, mind blinking backwards.

_"Oooh, if it isn't Nancy the Nerd. Mummy can't buy you a better outfit?" A younger Susanna teased, sneering as her mother would. "Oh, girls, look. She's carrying her diary!"_

_"No, it's not - please leave me alone." Nancy pleaded, stumbling back on the playground. She looked around for help, but who in their year would bother standing up against Susanna Dursley and her friends? No one._

_"Girls." Susanna ordered, watching with terrifying glee as her bigger friends stalked forward, crowding Nancy. She walked forward, her friends stepping out of the way as she cheerfully plucked the pretty-pink diary from Nancy's weak grasp, the other girl crying. Susanna began to laugh, none of it kind. "Look, girls. We've got a crybaby. Poor Nancy the Nerd, all alone. Must be because you're so weird, right? Always reading. You think you're better than us, Nancy the Nerd, huh?" She shoved the girl's shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground. Nancy stared up at her, face wet._

_"Please don't." Nancy tried again, and Susanna opened her diary, beaming as her friends gathered behind her to read over her shoulder._

_"Let's see how weird Nancy the Nerd really is." The redhead told her friends. The biggest, Martina, laughed._

_"Then we can tell the rest, right?"_

_"Oh, this is going to be so much fun." Susanna snapped it shut and glared down at the sobbing freak. "And Nancy the Nerd won't do anything about it, will she? Hmm?" Nancy shook her head. "Because you know exactly what we do to tattletales. See you later, Nancy the Nerd." Susanna walked away, leading her friends from the sobbing freak. "Out of my way, Potter!" Susanna shoved her cousin out of the doorway and marched through, uncaring of his pained moan. She had a diary to read._

"-anna. Suze? Suze?"

Susanna gasped, green eyes meeting green. "Harry?"

"Susanna, what's -" Harry started, but Susanna shook her head.

"I thought I forgot the homework for Transfiguration. I didn't."

Harry gave her a look, seeing right through her lie. "Look, you can apologize -"

"For what? Telling the truth?" Susanna snorted and stepped around her cousin. "She deserved it."

"Listen to yourself, Suze! You're sounding like you used to!" Harry shouted, and she stopped in her tracks. "You're not that girl anymore, stop acting like her!" Harry caught up and glared at his cousin. "You're better than this, Susanna."

She faltered at his look, unused to the disappointment gleaming in his eyes. "We're going to be late." Is all she said, and continued on her way to Transfiguration.

* * *

Hermione hadn't been in their next class. Professor McGonagall passed by Susanna's desk and asked about the empty seat beside her. Susanna shrugged indifferently, picking at her nails as the woman walked away.  
Hermione hadn't been at lunch. There was no incessant chattering, no random bits of information being spilled to the nearest Gryffindors.

Hermione didn't show up for the afternoon classes, either. Everyone was talking about it - her absence was not unnoticed by anyone. Guilt ate away at Susanna as she did her best to take notes on vampires. It weighed her down as she flew low to the ground, Flying lessons failing to distract her.

Ron looked just as guilty, the two silent as they walked back to the castle despite Neville, Dean, and Seamus attempting to pull them into a conversation. Harry was waiting for them in Gryffindor Tower, excused from Flying classes on account of him being on the Quidditch team.

"Finally! You five get lost or something? I'm starving!" Harry complained, dodging Dean's playfully shoving.

"Yeah, sorry mate. Just let me drop this off." Ron offered awkwardly, nodding to the steps.

"Me too." Susanna followed after him, disappearing into her dorm.  
Lavender, Parvati, and Padma were giggling away in the bathroom, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen. The only sign that she'd ever been in the room was her bag laying haphazardly on her bed.

Susanna rubbed her face and dumped her bag on her own bed, laying down so Hades could leap up onto her stomach. He purred as she scratched behind his ears and under his chin, frowning in thought.

"Oi, Susie, you coming down soon!" Ron bellowed from down the stairs, Harry and the other boys joining in. Susanna sat up with a sigh and kissed Hades head.

As soon as she rejoined the boys, they headed out the portrait hole to the Great Hall. She could smell the feast from the seventh floor, a mix of pumpkin, sugar, and savory meats. As the boys talked her mind kept flashing through every cruel moment at school, every time she ever treated someone worse than she did Hermione.

"- poor Hermione. I wanted to help her, but she just yelled she wanted to be alone." Hannah Abbott passed the group of Gryffindors, talking to Susan Bones. "I hope she'll be okay -"

"-in the dungeons lavatory, right?" The two girls were too far away to hear everything, but their voices carried up. Susanna looked at Ron, both uncomfortable with the new information. Harry gave them a look but the other three boys seemed to have not been paying attention.

"Hey," Susanna spoke up, stepping over to the side of the moving staircase, "I left something in the dorm. Uh, I'll be down soon."

Ron gave an awkward laugh, still processing what the Hufflepuffs said. "You sure? I might eat all the food before you get there."

Susanna rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Pig."

"Suit yourself." Ron shrugged and continued on his way, the other boys following after him. Only Harry remained, and he stared up at her with a proud little smile.

Susanna blushed and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, shut up." She huffed out.

"I didn't say a word. I'll save you a seat, when you're done. Or, um, if you and Hermione don't come, I'll sneak some food to the common room. Ron'll help."

She heard Harry walk away and rubbed under her eyes, wondering just how poorly this will go. Apologizing to Nancy was much harder, apologizing to Nancy was much harder, Susanna told herself, remembering her tour of "sorrys" after she had a change of heart - no one had forgiven her, not that she expected them to. Maybe this was salvageable, though. It wasn't too late, and while Susanna had been awful… Hermione made it easy to get frustrated.

Not that that's a good reason to be a git, she scolded herself before making her way to the bowels of the Castle.

The dungeons were as cold as usual, the walls damp and the air stale. Susanna rolled her shoulders back, stepping around a corner to hide from passing Slytherins. She rummaged through her robe pockets, wondering if she'd need to defend herself. Susanna groaned under her breath when she realized she'd left it in her bag. _In her dorm. She was completely wandless._ Hoping she wouldn't run into any trouble she continued her journey down the corridor, sneaking past the Potions classroom.

When Susanna reached the lavatory, her hand hovering hesitantly over the door knob. Even from the other side of the hick wood she could hear sobbing, and with a sad sigh she opened the door and walked through. The crying quieted, but the sniffles were still loud. "Go away!" Hermione shakily shouted.

"It's me. Susanna. Look, I just -"

"Haven't you done enough? Go away!" Hermione ordered.

Susanna nodded even though she couldn't be seen, and she walked closer to the other girl's stall. "I know I have. Give me a couple of minutes, and then I swear I'll leave. I promise. Okay? Just give me a few minutes to apologize." Susanna pleaded, counting her breaths as she waited for a response.

Finally, Hermione coughed. "Okay. Then you leave."

Susanna almost laughed with relief. "Thank you. I promise. Alright. First, you should know I was the one who got you kicked out of the library. And who hid your books. I'm sorry for that, really. Even though it was a little funny - wait, no, sorry. That's…" Susanna glared down at the floor. "Look, I'm not good at this sort of thing. Apologizing. I'm trying, though, because no matter how much you annoy me you didn't deserve what I've said and done to you. But you need to realize that how you've been talking to me and treating Ron… it's not okay."

Hermione sniffed. "I-I know." She mumbled.

"None of that justifies the way I've been treating you." Susanna added, rocking back and forth. "How I acted is not on you, alright? I hope you can understand I'm not blaming you for the prat I was." She sighed and ran a hand through her red hair. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for all of it. The girl I've been… that's not who I want to be. But she's all I know sometimes. I'm trying not to be her anymore. You just made me so… angry." Susanna's heart broke more as Hermione cried, and she sighed against the door. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know that I'll be better. I'll, uh, I'll make sure to have someone save you some food. But don't stay here too late. Peeves might find you. Or the Slytherins." She stepped away from the stall and walked towards the lavatory door, and was nearly out of it when a cracking voice called to her.

"Susanna?"

"Yes, Hermione?" She didn't turn around.

"Can you… would you mind staying? Please?"

"Sure." Susanna let the door close and came back to the stall. "Where do you want me?" The door opened and Hermione revealed herself. Her brown hair was bushier than ever, her face blemished with red marks and her brown eyes were swollen. Susanna expected a smack, maybe some harsh words. She deserved it.

Instead she received a hug. Hermione had thrown her arms around Susanna's neck. The red-haired girl had no idea what to do. She first settled for patting the other Muggle-born on the back, until she gave in and hugged back.

"I forgive you." Hermione finally said, and Susanna stared confusedly at the toilet across from her. "I was rude, too. I'm sorry."

Susanna shook her head. "Stop it. Nothing you ever said made _me_ cry."

"Two evils don't cancel each other out."

"I was crueler."

"I belittled you."

Susanna laughed. "I can't believe we're competing over which one of us was worse!"

Hermione giggled wetly, both girls shaking in each other's arms.

* * *

Susanna smiled as she finished dabbing the wet paper towel under Hermione's eyes, her blemishes fading as she calmed. "There. Now it only looks like you've been punched. Twice."

Hermione rolled her puffy eyes. "You're hilarious."

"I know." Susanna's stomach growled and she sighed, patting her empty middle.

Hermione bit her lip. "If we leave now, I'm sure they'll still be serving dinner." She suggested, tone guilty.

Susanna waved her off. "No, it's okay. Harry and Ron are grabbing some food. I'll share with you!"

"Okay." Hermione smiled shyly. "Do you mind helping me with our Potions assignment? I'm having a hard time wording what I want to say."

"Of course, yeah. Let's just go to the common room. They boys will be able to give us food then, since they can't come into our room. I don't trust the other girls to deliver it." Susanna grumpily bit out, remembering the time Padma ate the cookie Ron had asked her to give the red-haired girl.

"Alright, I -" Hermione paused. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Susanna whispered, then stopped. Something was thumping outside. The floor seemed to vibrate with each thud. It sounded like an elephant was loose in the dungeons. "Get back. Come on!" Susanna tugged the other girl away from the door and towards the largest stall. They shrieked quietly when the door slammed open. The angry elephant was entering the lavatory, its shadow flooding the floor. The girls covered their noses with a grimace, their eyes watering as the smell managed to overtake their senses. The uninvited guest was breathing heavily, covering the girls' loudly beating hearts.

It was not, however, loud enough to hide Hermione's petrified scream when the stalls were ripped from their hinges and thrown across the room. The elephant was actually a troll. A twelve-foot-tall, club-wielding, bald-headed troll.

"Run!" Susanna screamed, the girls ducking under the swing of the door-sized club. The troll rolled and turned, dazed by their disappearance. His club knocked into what remained of the stalls, knocking the wood around. A piece flew right at Hermione's throat, and would have ended her if Susanna hadn't yanked her out of the way in time. They held onto each other and cowered into the wall, the troll lumbered towards them. Susanna felt around frantically for her wand. _Which she'd left behind. Perfect._

"Hermione, Hermione your wand! Hermione!" Susanna tried, but the girl was as still as a statue, completely terrified. The red-haired girl reached over to search her new friend's robes -

When the lavatory door burst open, her cousin and best friend stumbled into the debris-covered room. Three pairs of eyes connected, two sets crazed and one completely panicked.

"Confuse it!" Harry roared at Ron, and Susanna watched as her cousin picked up a tap from the sink and threw it at the troll's head, the redhead boy throwing a chunk of wood after him.

"Oi, pea brain!" Ron shouted, another piece of wood hitting the toll in the center of his forehead. It

The troll stumbled and confusedly swung his club. The action woke Hermione from her petrified state, and she screamed as she tugged Susanna towards the sinks, both girls narrowly avoiding the troll's attack.

"My wand - I can't find it!" Hermione whispered, and Susanna looked around for it as the boys continued to distract the beast. The redhead groaned when she saw it. The vinewood wand was lying right next to their ripped-up stall, only a few monstrous steps away from the troll.

"Stay down!" She yelled at her friend, then dove and slid across the marble floor, scraping her legs as she rolled to a stop in front of the wand.

The movement caught the troll's attention, and he turned to roar down at her. Susanna scrambled back and raised Hermione's wand but it felt all wrong in her hand. _Would a spell even work if she used it?_

She didn't have a chance to answer her own question. Seconds later a jet-black streak leaped up and climbed onto the troll's shoulders, arms wrapped around its thick neck. Harry was on the troll's back, and he shoved his wand up its nose. The troll flailed and roared, bucking Harry like a frightened horse.

"Hold on, Harry!" Susanna shouted, rolling out of the way when the club swung towards her.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

Ron stood in a cloud of debris, his red hair streaked with dust and splintered wood. Susanna watched in amazement as the club lifted itself out of the troll's grasp. It flew into the air as high as Hermione's feather, and Ron dropped it down onto the troll's head. Harry dropped to the floor and the beast staggered, until he fell face-first before Ron.

"Susanna!" Harry shouted, helping his cousin up. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine, I'm okay. Oh, Harry!" The girl threw her arms around his neck. They held onto each other tightly, both shaking and completely out of breath.

"Is it… dead?" Hermione asked, and the cousins parted to stare down at the troll.

"I don't think so." Harry muttered, and he and Susanna crept around the massive body to stand next to a still-dazed Ron. Susanna clapped her fellow redhead on the shoulder, and the sound was enough to get a rumbling snore from the troll. All four first years jumped at the sound, and Harry gulped. "Nope. He's just been knocked out." Susanna watched in disgust as her cousin pulled his wand from the troll's left nostril, a thick string of lumpy grey glue following it. "Ugh, troll boogies!" Harry moaned, and he did his best to wipe it off on his robe.

"I'm not sure any amount of soap will get that out." Susanna commented on his now-soiled robe, and Harry sighed sadly.

Something slammed behind them and the four first years turned. Professor McGonagall stood in the empty doorway, Professors Quirrell and Snape behind her. All three adults surveyed the destroyed lavatory in horror before their eyes landed on the Gryffindors and their unconscious troll. Professor McGonagall's face began to turn red, her mouth opening and closing as she attempted to find the words. Professor Quirrell took one look at the troll and whimpered, choosing instead to sit on an unharmed toilet and clutch his heart. Professor Snape rolled his eyes and bent over the troll instead, inspecting it. Susanna watched him curiously, wondering - not for the first time - if perhaps he was better suited for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He seemed dark enough for it.

"What on earth were you thinking!" Professor McGonagall was no longer speechless, her voice ringing through the destroyed lavatory with a frozen fury. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape straightened, his black eyes piercing Harry and Susanna. His eyes flitted down to her scuffed up legs, then back to her eyes. It was all too easy to see his disapproval.

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me." Hermione spoke up, and Susanna stared at her in confusion while her cousin and Ron blinked in surprise. Their expressions were matched by their Head of House.

"Miss Granger?"

"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read about them." Susanna tried to shake her head to get her to stop talking, but Hermione powered on, lying to their professors. "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Susanna protected me from the troll's club, and slid across the floor to grab my wand before it could be destroyed. Harry stuck his own wand up its nose, and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Susanna elbowed her cousin, hoping he'd begin to look more confident in the lie. Susanna had transformed her own confused expression into one of fearful relief, her hand in Hermione's.

Professor McGonagall appeared to be frozen, until her features thawed and her shoulders dropped. "Well, in that case… Miss Granger, you foolish girl!" Professor McGonagall scolded her prized student, Hermione looking down at the ground. "How could you think of tackling a mountain troll on you own?" The girl shrugged, hanging her head. Susanna's green eyes were blown wide as she assessed Hermione. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left quietly, her hand slipping from Susanna's as she left. The redhead caught Ron blinking dazedly after the bushy-haired girl and shook her head the slightest. He understood her gesture, schooling his features once more.

Professor McGonagall assessed them, her eyes on Susanna's bloodied legs. "Oh, dear, but those are quite the cuts."

"Oh, no. I've had worse, in dance class. Bruises the size of the troll's head. Ballet. Oh, and I fell from a tree in the park… one time…" Susanna uselessly rambled, Harry biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. His shoulders still shook, and Professor McGonagall watched them, completely unimpressed.

"Still, I'd like you to visit the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey can heal your wounds." She cleared her throat. "Well, there's no doubt you three were lucky. Not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale! You each win Gryffindor five points," the cousins and Ron smiled at each other, "for sheer dumb luck!" Their professor finished with a slight smile. "Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go. And Ms. Dursley, I shall know if you did not visit the hospital wing."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." The three first years scurried out of the lavatory, bumping into Hermione. She stood in the center of the corridor with a slumped back, biting her lip worriedly.

"Are you three in any trouble?" The girl asked, and Harry shook his head.

"No. You didn't have to do that, you know. Lie?"

Hermione nodded. "I know." She blushed again. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Susanna grinned at her, then frowned. "Except let's all agree to never face another mountain troll again, yeah?"

"Merlin, yes!" Ron agreed passionately, throwing an arm over each of the cousins' shoulders. "I remembered the spell, by the way." He told Hermione. "Guess you're pretty helpful, even if you're a bossy know-it-all."

"Ron!" Susanna hissed, kicking at him but wincing at the pain.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing." Harry told her, and she waved him off.

"No, no, I can get there myself. Go enjoy the feast."

Hermione scowled. "No you won't. You'll pretend to go and then try and sneak into bed with bloodied legs!"

Susanna rolled her eyes, but it was a good-natured gesture. "Alright, yes. I know."

"Well, best escort you there ourselves." Ron grinned down at her. "What are friends for?" He looked over at Hermione, who smiled shyly in return.

"Great, because my knees are throbbing and I need some help." Susanna admitted, smiling cheekily.

Hermione looped their arms together. "I can't believe you slid on the floor." She said, though her tone was kind.

"I saw it once, in a film." Susanna defended herself, and Harry snorted.

"What the bloody hell is a film?" Ron asked, and his three companions laughed, explaining on their way to the hospital wing. Indeed, if it weren't for the blood on Susanna's legs and the debris in everyone's hair, none would be the wiser about their little adventure in the destroyed girls' lavatory.


	10. Quidditch

**Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!**

**Happy September First! I figured I might as well upload a new chapter. I'll be uploading a little more frequently after this, I didn't mean to walk away from my fic for so long! Sorry it's a short fic, just needed to get myself back in the groove. Hopefully the next one will be a little longer!**

**Real quick: I'm aware that Snape was canonically bit by Fluffy on Halloween. No one come for me, I'm aware. That being said, I pushed the bite a week back just to give the quartet a little more time to become friends. As I've already established Thursday as Snape's usual patrol day, I figured his run-in with Fluffy could happen exactly a week later, with Snape doubling down on checking on the stone. **

**I hope you guys are staying safe, and that you enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC. **

**For all my reader: Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. No matter your gender, race, sexuality - any of it. The fandom has been bigger and greater than its originator for _years. _**

* * *

November at Hogwarts brought cool weather and frost-covered grounds. Seriously, a switch had been flipped the first of the eleventh month, as dramatic as the shift between the four Gryffindors. While Ron and Hermione hadn't stopped bickering, the animosity had faded away to occasional rudeness. Ron even began paying attention to the Muggle-born in class, and his work ethic had improved in the week following Halloween. Harry and Hermione had gotten close as well, the girl having introduced him to the library copy of _Quidditch Through The Ages_. He quoted it more than Hermione had in the days leading up to their first Flying lesson.

But it was the friendship between Hermione and Susanna that really turned the heads of their teachers and classmates alike. Indeed, the Friday after Halloween saw them sitting even closer together in double Potions, their heads bent over the cauldron as they worked together to finish their Forgetfulness Potion. Neither one snapped at the other, nor did Hermione speak ill of Susanna's alleged distracted-nature.

Then they spent that Saturday in the library, teasing Ron as he grumbled about Herbology, laughing as he walked off to go hang out with Seamus, Dean, and Neville instead. This trend of working together continued through the next week, and Susanna's protectiveness spread to Hermione. When Lavender teased the bushy-haired girl "behind" her back - Hermione was in the bathroom, and Susanna _knew_ she could hear the Patil twins laughing - the redheaded girl threatened them with the most colorful of pranks should she ever catch them talking about _her friend_ like that again.

What certainly hadn't changed was Professor Snape's disdain for Harry - in fact, it somehow seemed to have worsened.

The day before Harry's first Quidditch game, the four Gryffindors found themselves in the frigid courtyard. They huddled around a jar containing a bright blue flame the girls conjured to keep the warm during break, their backs to it. Harry was flipping through _Quidditch Through the Ages_, Ron peering over his shoulder to read with him while Hermione and Susanna went over their Potions notes.

Susanna suddenly froze. "Oh, great - it's the dungeon bat. _Act natural._" She hissed under her breath, watching the black-cloaked figure come closer. The group moved closer to the jar, hoping to hide it from Snape's line of sight. They still couldn't quite mask the guilt from their faces, enticing Snape. He _limped_ with a purpose, onyx eyes zeroed in on Harry as his cloak billowed behind him.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" He asked, nodding down to the book in Harry's hands. Susanna's gaze lowered to Snape's knees, confused. He was walking just fine earlier in class. Maybe Peeves got to him? She'd pay good money to see that interaction.

Snape held out his hand, breaking Susanna from her thoughts. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." With that, he snatched the book from Harry and limped away, leaving the four students to glare at his back.

Harry fumed beside his cousin. "He's just made that rule up. Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him." Ron bit out.

Susanna patted her cousin on the shoulder, nodding along with the other redhead. "My money's on Peeves."

"He could've just tripped. The stairs are getting quite slippery." Hermione offered, and Susanna grinned.

"Do you think he took points from the floor?" She cleared her throat, lowering her voice quite a few octaves. "'Twenty points for being incompetent. You are not meant to trip professors, you insolent stone.' No, wait, that's too nice. I'm sure he threw in a few more of his creative insults."

"True. Of course, he wouldn't _just_ blame the steps. 'And another thirty points to the handrails, for not reaching out to aid me.'" Ron added, the two redheads laughing loud enough to catch the attention of a few passing older students. They didn't calm down, though, Hermione and Harry rolling their eyes but smiling nonetheless as the ridiculous redheads continued on with their impersonations.

* * *

Susanna glared down at her star chart as yet another half hour of confusion past. Her Potions work was pushed aside, having been conquered relatively quickly. Ron rolled his eyes at her sigh and wiggled his fingers. She grinned and passed her paper to him, leaning back in her chair.

"This looks right, yes?" Hermione asked, showing Susanna Harry's Transfiguration work. The redhead girl's eyes scanned over the parchment, and she nodded.

"Yes. No doubt because of you." Susanna winked. Hermione snorted and lightly pushed her elbow.

"I can't do this anymore!" Harry threw his arms up as he stood, making all three jump. "I need the book back. I'm going to see Snape, try to talk him out of it."

"Better you than me."

"Good luck." Ron and Hermione responded, and Susanna snorted.

"Well, I don't think he entirely hates me, so I'll come with you. At least to give you some words of comfort when he says 'no'." His cousin teased.

"But your star chart -"

"You've got it, thanks Ron!" Susanna waved the other redhead off, ignoring his colorful insults as she followed after Harry.

"Should we check the dungeons?" Harry asked her as they walked down the steps, tapping their feet as they waited for the staircases to finish moving.

"We still have some time before supper. I'm sure he's in the staffroom."

"Hopefully along with some other teachers." Harry mumbled, growing paler as they walked closer to their destination.

By the time they reached the staffroom, Harry was shaking like a leaf in the breeze. Susanna wasn't much better, and she steeled her nerves as her cousin knocked timidly on the door. No one answered. He tried again, this time louder, and no one responded. Susanna sighed and twisted the knob and grinned wickedly when she found the room was unlocked. Harry rolled his eyes but pushed the door ajar, the cousins peering in with Susanna's head stacked above the Chosen One's.

They were met with an alarmingly horrifying scene. Professor Snape had one leg bent on a chair, the trousers under his robes rolled up to reveal a mangled, bloody leg - it was like something out of a slasher film Dudley had convinced their father to let him watch.

He was not alone. Filch was there as well, handing the injured professors some bandages. _There goes __Harry's hopes of getting the book back, _she thought to herself, certain there was no way Filch would take their side.

"Blasted thing." Snape griped, wrapping some gauze around his leg and hissing as he worked. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Susanna jolted, tilting her head in surprise at the professor's words. Three heads - does he know about the dog?

With his cousin distracted, Harry tried to close the door quietly. It squeaked and the cousins winced, Snape's head swiveling towards the noise. "POTTER! DURSLEY!"

"Oops." Susanna muttered, Harry gulping as Snape rolled down the trousers to hide the wound.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back?" Harry asked, voice quiet. Susanna nodded next to him, flinching as their professor roared at them.

"GET OUT! _OUT!_"

"Right, sorry -" Susanna awkwardly responded, tugging Harry as they slammed the door closed. Shaking, the duo ran as far as they could from the staffroom, sweaty and red-faced by the time they reached Gryffindor tower. Panting out the password, they stumbled through the portrait-hole and over to their two friends.

"That was fast." Hermione commented, looking at her watch.

"Did you get it? What's the matter?" Ron asked, finally taking note of their haggard appearances.

"Wait - catch - breath." Susanna managed to exhale. Harry just sat on his chair, groaning. "Okay." She nodded, finally managing to breathe without sounding like the mountain troll. "We went to the staffroom, to go get the book -"

"And Snape was there -"

"So was Filch." Susanna reminded Harry, who nodded and continued his explanation, whispering.

"Yeah, like Suze said. Filch was there. Snape's leg - remember how he was limping earlier - it was all mangled."

"It looked gross." Susanna shuddered, Harry shivering in agreement.

"It was."

"How'd it happen?" Hermione asked, leaning forward. Ron copied her, eager for more information.

"Snape said, 'How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?'" Harry whispered, and their friend's confused faces morphed into understanding. Ron's jaw dropped a little and Hermione's eyes widened.

"You mean he -"

Susanna nodded at Hermione. "The three headed dog. He went to the forbidden corridor. Unless there's _another_ three-headed dog hidden in the castle."

Ron shuddered at the thought. "Let's hope not."

"You know what this means?" All three Gryffindors looked at Harry, once more breathless with his eyes a little crazed. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog! He's after whatever it's guarding! That's where we saw him heading, Ron, remember? When we were looking for Suze and Hermione? He must've tried it on Halloween, that's how the troll got in, only McGonagall must've found him before he got to the corridor. So he tried again last night."

Susanna watched her cousin, worry clear on her face the more he ranted out his suspicions. Snape certainly looked unbothered by the troll, she thought to herself, remembering how he calmly approached the sleeping beast while Quirrell cowered in a stall. Why hadn't he been looking for the troll? After all, Harry and Ron had told the girls the Defense professor had said it was in -

"No, he wouldn't!" Hermione argued, tearing Susanna from her thoughts. "I know he's not nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

Ron scoffed at her, earning a put-off glare. "Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something. I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dig guarding? Susie, you alright?" Ron looked at his fellow redhead, her pink lips pursed in thought.

"Suze?"

"Anna?" Harry and Hermione asked, shaking Susanna from her thoughts once more.

"Hmm? Sorry, just… thinking about how gross Snape's leg was."

"Right." Ron hummed, then sighed. "Potions class is bad enough without our professor being some dark thief. Who knows what else Snape'll let loose in the castle."

Susanna shuddered at the thought while Hermione rolled her eyes, picking up her friends' homework to continue her corrections. Ron reluctantly picked up Susanna's star chart while Harry pretended to read his Herbology book.

Susanna stared at a spot on the wall, mind on Snape's leg and the three-headed dog beneath the castle.

* * *

The next morning saw Susanna and Hermione shivering in their dorm, the cold November air finding its way inside. Hades mewled and curled up onto Susanna's pillow, pawing at the spot Susanna's head previously rested on.

"I can't believe Harry has to fly in this weather. If I ever decide to try out for the Quidditch team, I expect you to spell me out of it, because I've _clearly_ been jinxed."

Hermione snorted at her melodramatic friend, and let the warmly-dressed girl lead them out of the girls' dorm.

Susanna grumbled even after they were joined by Harry and Ron, her cousin paler than usual. He kept gulping nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose and stammering out short answers when asked a question posed by random passersby. A few other students even threw in a few teasing remarks, all of which earned them the deadliest of glares from Susanna. She grabbed his elbow halfway to the Great Hall and didn't let go, Harry patting her hand in thanks.

"You're going to be great up there. Okay? If you could survive my brother and his friends, you can get through one stupid game of Quidditch." She whispered in Harry's ear, glaring at the fourth person to pass them and crack a joke about her cousin's potential death-by-broom. "I have total faith in you, Freak."

"Thanks, Suze."

She sighed as he kept walking, shoulders stiff and head down. "Hey. He'll be alright." Ron had noticed her falling behind, and Susanna exhaled through her nose.

"He better be. Come on, I smell sausages." The two redheads trailed after Harry and Hermione, the latter of whom was reciting another chapter of _Quidditch Through the Ages__._ Finding some free spots close to the faculty table, the four Gryffindors sat down for breakfast. Ron piled his plate high with eggs, beans, sausages, and tomatoes. Hermione watched with disgust as he began stuffing his mouth before delicately taking a bite of toast. Harry poked around at his plate, his cousin making sure to add bacon. Susanna subtly glanced down at her stomach, feeling over it with her hand.

_One piece of toast. Ten bites of egg. No meat, just some tomatoes,_ she ordered herself, ignoring Hermione's scrutinizing gaze.

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Susanna looked up, expecting the other girl to be talking to her. Instead Hermione was looking at Harry, who was as interested in his food as Susanna was.

"I don't want anything." Harry grumbled.

Ron made an effort to swallow before speaking. "Mate," he poked at Harry, "you've got to keep your strength up today. Who knows how long the game'll last."

"I'm not hungry."

"Just a bit of toast." Hermione pleaded, and she held her ground when Harry glared at her.

"I said I'm not hungry."

"Harry." Susanna snapped. "Eat. _Now._ If you don't, you'll get tired and you'll fall off your broom. Remember when I almost fainted during dance class? Why did that happen again?"

Harry sighed. "Because you hadn't eaten enough and your lesson ran long."

"_That's right._ Only _my fall_ would've been shorter. Do this for me, at least. Please."

"I'll eat when you will." Harry huffed at her, nodding at her still full plate. Susanna spitefully stabbed her fork into her eggs, chewing loudly and with purpose until her cousin joined in. Their friends watched as they tucked in, eyes going back and forth between the Potter boy and Dursley girl as they ate through their glares.

"What's with them?" Susanna heard Seamus ask, watching him sit with Neville and Dean as she continued to eat what little remained on her plate.

"Cousins." Ron shook his head, smirking until Susanna tossed a piece of toast at his head. She and Harry laughed as he stuttered, pushing aside their empty plates. "You're awful, you know that Susie? Terrible. Mental. Rude." The red-haired boy complained, eliciting and impressively dramatic eye roll from the Muggle-born. "You sure you don't want more? The bacon's good."

"No. The way you just ate made me lose my appetite." Susanna bit back, receiving a nod of agreement from Hermione. Ron just shrugged and loaded his plate with his second - possibly his third, Susanna wasn't sure - helping.

"Harry, you need your strength." Seamus piped up, getting the four friends' attention. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus." Harry responded, and he and his cousin watched the sandy-haired boy smother his sausages in ketchup. He gulped before returning his focus to his half-eaten plate.

Susanna sighed and reached over to take Harry's hand. She squeezed it and waited for her cousin to peek up at her. "Hey. Don't worry. You'll be okay."

* * *

"He's going to be okay, right?" Susanna asked, a little out of breath as she and her friends climbed up to the Quidditch stands.

"Of course he will." Hermione assured her, swiping some bushy locks out of her eyes.

"If he doesn't take a Bludger to the head." Ron mumbled, earning himself a glare from Hermione and a panicked jolt from Susanna. Realizing he'd spoken out loud, the redheaded boy cleared his throat. "But he won't, of course! Fred and George are excellent Beaters!"

"That makes me feel _loads _better." Susanna muttered, and Hermione's eyes narrowed on Ron in disappointment as the Chosen One's cousin continued her ascent.

Neville and Seamus, waved the trio over, Dean holding up a tattered bedsheet. He and Susanna had worked together the evening before to create a large banner for Gryffindor's new Seeker. "Potter for President" had been painted across, a large Gryffindor lion drawn underneath. It's mouth was open, releasing a silent roar. Not blind to Susanna's distracted state, Hermione took the reins in charming the banner so the colors would change on their own accord. Meanwhile, the red-haired girl accepted a pair of binoculars from Seamus, fumbling with it.

She looked around the stands - Slytherin was buzzing with excitement, proudly waving their house's banners and sending jeering glances and lewd taunts at the Gryffindors. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws seemed to mostly be cheering for Gryffindor, but their chants were drowned out by Slytherin's startlingly lion-like roars.

Susanna smirked at the idea of calling a Slytherin "lion-like" to their face - it was bound to be an insult.

"Susie, they're coming out, over there!" Ron shook her shoulder, jolting Susanna from her observations. She looked down at the field, letting out a loud cheer as the two teams marched onto the field. As Madam Hooch - the ref - spoke to the players, Susanna focused her binoculars on Harry. Even if he had perfect vision, he wouldn't have been able to return the favor, but his slightly-older cousin hoped he knew she would be looking out for him. Her hands shook with fear, her body tingling as she watched his lips twist.

"He's nervous." Susanna whispered, Hermione and Ron staring down at the red-haired girl. Her green eyes were wide as she lowered the binoculars. "Oh God, what if he falls? He's too far for me to catch!"

"Catch?"

"How on earth would you be able to catch him?" Ron and Hermione asked, the latter looking apologetic when she realized how tactless she sounded.

Susanna didn't notice her friend's tone, eyes still glued on her cousin's tiny figure. "It's how we figured out I was like him. I caught him when he fell. I can usually catch him. What if I can't catch him?"

"Anna, relax. There's no need to panic. Madam Hooch is here, as are the rest of the teachers - including Professor McGonagall. They won't let anything happen to Harry."

Susanna nodded at Hermione's words, then took a few calming breaths. Binoculars raised, she watched Madam Hooch press her silver whistle to her lips. The woman blew, the sound shrill as it echoed up to the crowd. Fifteen brooms - as the ref was flying with the players - shot up into the sky, streaks of scarlet and emerald green zooming around the stands.

Lee Jordan cleared his throat, and began his announcements. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall roared.

"Sorry, Professor."

Susanna snorted, the exchange bolstering her spirits.

Lee pressed on. "And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet - a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to score - No! Stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor's Keeper Wood and the Gryffindor's take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, up the field and - OUCH -" Susanna winced as she watched Katie Bell get smacked in the back of the head with a Bludger, Lee announcing it only a few moments later. "That must've hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which -"

"_FRED,_ LEE!" Susanna shouted, the binoculars clearly doing their job. Lee couldn't hear her over the crowd or his announcements, and she grumbled under her breath about his supposed best-friendship with the twins, getting a laugh from Ron.

"Nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angeline - Keeper Bletchley dives, misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Cheering erupted in the stands, Susanna snatching a Gryffindor banner from a bemused housemate as she waved it proudly in the air, laughing at the Slytherins' defeated expressions.

"Budge up there, move along." A voice rumbled behind her, and Susanna turned to see Hagrid making his way through the throngs of students. She, Ron, and Hermione made space for the giant groundskeeper. "Bin watchin' from me hut," Hagrid informed them, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck. "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope. Harry hasn't had much to do yet." Ron answered.

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'." Hagrid hummed, then sent a concerned glance down at the Chosen One's cousin. Her normally sun-kissed complexion had gone ghostly white. "You alrigh', Susanna?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Good to see you, too." She dazedly responded, focus back on the Pitch, and up. Through her binoculars, she could see Harry just sitting on his broom, occasionally gliding over the game. His eyes were squinted as he searched for the snitch.

_At least he's out of harm's way, _she thought to herself, only to cry out when a Bludger came too close to Harry. He dodged just in time, Fred chasing after it. Susanna cheered when the older redhead sent it flying towards Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession!" Lee announced begrudgingly. "Chaser Pucey -" Susanna snorted at the name, "ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment, was that the Snitch?"

Susanna's grin grew as she watched her cousin dive towards a streak of gold. Ron chortled beside her when they noticed Chaser Pucey dropping the Quaffle, distracted. Hermione huffed and covered her ears, glaring at the overzealous crowd. Harry's cousin began to jump around in anticipation, she and Ron holding onto each other as Harry and the Slytherin Seeker hurtled neck-and-neck after the Snitch.

Marcus Flint dove in front of Harry, sending his broom off course. As he spun out of control Susanna, screamed in fury, cursing Flint from the stands. Hermione did her best to cover the furiously-spitting girl's mouth, the redhead's usually warm complexion turning an alarming shade of purple as she shook with fear for her cousin. Hermione looked to Ron for help, but the boy was almost giving Susanna's rage a run for its money.

"Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"Yeah! Red card his arse, Hooch!" Dean and Susanna screamed.

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked over the slow-fading roars.

"Red card!" Dean spit out, Susanna nodding as she looked at her cousin through binoculars once more. "In football you get shown a red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't football, Dean." Ron argued.

Susanna looked up and back as Hagrid scoffed, expression nearly as vengeful as hers. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."

Susanna shivered as she turned around, doing her best not to picture Harry on the ground, flatter than a pancake. Ron bumped into her, smiling comfortingly. "He's fine, Susie."

She exhaled, almost smiling at Lee's reaction.

"So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating -"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall growled.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul -"

"Jordan, I'm warning you -"

"Alright, alright!" Lee Jordan huffed. "Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker - _good luck with that, Flint, I'm sure his cousin has something planned for you _\- which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Susanna had managed a weak smirk at Lee's warning to the Slytherin Captain, but it faded as she watched Harry dodge another Bludger. It whizzed over his head, and Susanna swore she nearly fainted. Her worries weren't over, though. Harry's broom had begun to buck like a wild horse. She grabbed at Ron and Hermione, dropping her binoculars as she pointed at her cousin.

"Bloody Slytherin, useless cheaters - what?" Ron asked.

"H-H-Harry's bro-broom." Susanna stammered out, and Ron's eyes bulged when he noticed the Seeker's predicament. The rest of the crowd's gaze shifted as well, nearly everyone looking away from the game to watch Harry roll around on his broom.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing." Hagrid mumbled behind her, Susanna shaking with fear as she stumbled towards the railing, as if she could reach him herself. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…"

"Can't have what?" Susanna asked, eyes wide with horror.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus looked up at Hagrid, the giant shaking his head in return.

"Can't have." His voice shook as hard as Susanna's body. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

Hermione's gasp got Susanna's attention, and she watched as her friend grabbed the binoculars from Hagrid's lax grip. She didn't look up, though. Instead, Hermione's gaze swept around the crowd. "I knew it!"

"What?"

"What do you see?" Ron and Susanna asked, Hermione passing the binoculars to the redhead girl.

"Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" Hermione pointed to the stands across from them. Susanna watched as the greasy-haired Potions master muttered to himself, eyes unmoving from Harry's bucking.

"What should we do?" Ron asked, grunting as Susanna shoved the binoculars into his chest. "Where are you going?!"

Susanna paused long enough to look at her friends. "To save my cousin." She ran before anyone could stop her, mahogany wand clutched in her hand as she shoved her way through the crowded stands. Every now and then she'd catch sight of her cousin holding on for dear life. She silently thanked the Weasley twins as they tried to fly up to him, but every time they did the broom would fly higher and higher. So the red-haired girl sped up, climbing up and down stairs and running harder than she ever had to before. All she had to do was imagine running from her brother and his friends.

"Watch it, mudblood!" Parkinson shouted as she shoved the Slytherin out of the way, but Susanna only waved her off. When she reached Snape's stands, she hurried down the rows, wincing when she shoved Professor Quirrell out of the way. Crouching behind Professor Snape, she glared up at the man's back as she tapped the wand on the cloak's hem.

"_Lacarnum Inflamarae_." She ground out, putting all her hatred into the spell. Tiny flames lapped away at the fabric, and Susanna grinned as she blew on it. The flames grew and the professor above her yelped. Relieved gasps and cheers told her she'd succeeded, and Susanna ran up and away, stopping at a safe distance to watch her cousin.

Harry had managed to climb back aboard his broom, no longer dangling over the field. He was speeding towards the ground instead, and Susanna shoved her way down the next stand over, surrounded by Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike. Her eyes bulged when he flipped off his broom and sat up on the grass, covering his mouth with his hands. Her own stomach rolled and she winced, hoping he wasn't about to get sick - if he did, she would, too.

But no breakfast came out. Instead, her cousin held up his hand, something gold glinting in his grip. Susanna gasped, then let out a victory cry as Harry yelled, "I've got the Snitch!"

The Slytherin team groaned and griped, Flint complaining loudly over Lee's announcements as the Gryffindor team was awarded 150 points, winning the first game of the Quidditch season.

Susanna ran down from the stands onto the field, where what felt like half of Gryffindor had gathered around their house's team. She pushed her way through the older students and leaped onto her sweaty cousin, the two holding each other tight as the rest of their team and housemates cheered.

"I don't know what happened… my broom -" Harry gasped onto her shoulder, and Susanna nodded against his.

"I do. Let's find the others. Get you some tea. Okay?" Susanna dragged her cousin away from the cheering crowd, glaring up at Snape's stand as they left the pitch behind them.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Harry was sitting on Hagrid's large couch, Susanna fussing over him while Hagrid brewed a strong cup of tea. He'd attempted to brush her off, but the redhead was nothing if not stubborn.

"It was Snape." Ron explained to Harry. "We saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish!" Hagrid argued. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

The four friends looked at each other, but it was Harry who decided to tell their host the truth. "Suze and I found out something about him. He tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween, but couldn't. So he tried a couple of days ago, and it bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot, and Susanna jumped at the sound. "How do you know about Fluffy?"

"'Fluffy'?" Susanna asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, he's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the -"

"Yea?" Harry asked.

"Now, don't ask me anymore!" Hagrid huffed. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to _steal _it." Hermione argued.

Their host shook his head. "Rubbish. Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try to kill Harry?" Susanna asked, nearly throwing her arms up in frustration.

Hermione nodded along, her mind changed about Snape. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid. I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all. I saw him! We all did!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid snapped. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student -"

"No, just bully them." Susanna grumbled, remembering every cruel thing he's said and done to Neville.

Hagrid inhaled sharply. "Now listen ter me, all three of yeh. Yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. Yeh forget that dog, an' yeh forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel -"

"Aha!" Harry shouted, pointing at the man. "So there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself, attempting to stammer out explanations. Susanna and Hermione ignored him while the boys continued to try and argue out more information. The girls stared at each other and nodded, understanding gleaming in their eyes.

They'd be spending the weekend in the library, looking up this Nicholas Flamel.

* * *

**Again: ****I'm aware that Snape was canonically bit by Fluffy on Halloween. No one come for me, I'm aware. That being said, I pushed the bite a week back just to give the quartet a little more time to become friends. As I've already established Thursday as Snape's usual patrol day, I figured his run-in with Fluffy could happen exactly a week later, with Snape doubling down on checking on the stone.**


End file.
